A Texas woman says she and her family were able to survive by climbing a tree after being washed away by the flood early Saturday morning.
Melissa Higginbotham lives in Leander, just below Travis County Emergency Services District, one stop away from Round Mountain Baptist Church. She explained that she noticed water in her front yard around midnight.
“Around 2 o’clock, my dad came knocking on the door and ‘We went,'” she told Nexuster’s Kxan on Sunday.
Higgin Botham, her daughter, and family pugs loaded them into the car and tried to reach the high altitudes. However, it was too late and the water was rising too quickly. They then piled up on their father’s truck, trying to escape.
“My car was floating so I hadn’t found it yet, and we were walking past us with our whole family inside the house looking at our neighbors.
The truck where Higginbotum and her family were also beginning to float.
They bumped into a tree, raw the truck windows, and climbed the tree. Higginbotham, father and daughter stayed there for about two hours until the water retreated some and the emergency crew arrived.
Melissa Higginbotum of Leander, Texas shows the trees that he climbed to survive the flood in the early hours of July 5th, 2025.
“God was with us and he was sure we were fine,” Higginbotham said.
People living around her, many of them were family, who helped pick up the pieces on Sundays.
“It’s the best, and there’s no two ways to do it. Supporting a community that supports it is not two ways to do it,” she said.
Baptist Church opens its doors
On only a few roads, the round mountain Baptist church opens doors to help pass water, food, and most importantly, help people get information. The front door has a list of possible missing people.
“It’s been catastrophic, but it’s also awe-inspiring to see the community just unite and work together to provide space for people to come,” said Catherine Wagoner, who works at the church.
Wagoner said the biggest need she is seeing right now is for information and will help her find loved ones for those who have not yet seen since the flood was washed away this weekend.
“People just want to know what’s going on, and where their loved ones are,” she said.
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