What started as a routine drive east of Manor on Monday turned into a tense rescue after a vehicle got stuck and began sinking in a flooded low-water crossing on Old Kimbro Road. Emergency crews moved in beneath a hovering helicopter to reach the stranded driver, who was pulled to safety and, officials said, did not suffer serious injuries.
Rescue At Old Kimbro Road
According to the Manor Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 13400 block of Old Kimbro Road, where they found a vehicle partly submerged in high water. Travis County Emergency Services District 12 handled the water rescue, CBS Austin reported.
Photos from the scene show crews clustered around the disabled car while a helicopter hovered above. After the driver was removed, Manor police said the Austin Police Department later used both the vehicle and the crossing as a training site.
Flooded Crossings Shuttered Across The Region
Overnight storms dropped multiple inches of rain across parts of Central Texas, temporarily shutting down dozens of low-water crossings. By Monday morning, 93 crossings were listed as closed on ATXFloods, affecting routes in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Burnet, and Bastrop counties.
Officials cautioned that creeks and streams would continue pushing runoff downstream, keeping many crossings too dangerous to use for hours even after the heaviest rain moved on.
Other Rescues And Safety Warnings
Earlier in the wet spell, Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department crews pulled another driver from high water on Old San Antonio Road at I-35, after that person reportedly drove around a barricade and into a flooded crossing. The motorist had minor injuries, according to CBS Austin.
Manor police and other agencies continued to press the same familiar but critical message: do not try to drive through flooded roads, and do not bypass barricades that mark high-water areas.
Check Conditions Before You Go
The National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office had a Flood Watch in place through Tuesday, warning of heavy rain, potentially life-threatening flooding and urging residents to remember the mantra: “turn around, don't drown,” the NWS said.
Before heading out, especially on rural routes, officials advised checking current closure maps and lists of impassable crossings via ATXFloods and local emergency information channels.
