Texas flooding: Broken bridge near Leander leaves community feeling stuck

Texas floods: Broken bridge near Leander

Community members said they feel stuck after the destruction of a bridge near Leander cut off their neighborhood.

LEANDER, Texas - Community members said they feel stuck after the destruction of a bridge near Leander cut off their neighborhood.

At last check, there are nearly 120 deaths in Central Texas after the devastating flooding.

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Community reacts to broken bridge 

Local perspective:

"We need out. This is the only way in and the only way out," Sandy Creek resident Nathan Evers said.

Evers has lived in the Sandy Creek neighborhood in Northwest Travis County for about 40 years.

"This is one of the worst storms, the worst floods we’ve had," Evers said.

His neighbor, Timothy Joubert, said on Friday, rain just kept falling.

"Around midnight, 1 o’clock is when I poked my head outside, and I have a big 14 by 14 pit in the ground, it is 13 feet deep, and it was chock-full, so I was like, if that’s full, the creek is flooded so we came down here looking, and it was devastating, we’re underwater right now, that’s how far it went back," Joubert said.

Texas flooding: Leander broken bridge

A Leander neighborhood is feeling isolated after a main bridge broke due to severe flooding.

In the area, cars were totaled, slabs of concrete scattered, trees were uprooted, homes destroyed, and a bridge was torn up.

"We never thought it would flood this badly, but it did," Joubert said.

Joubert said they are stuck. People can walk across the Big Sandy Bridge, but cannot drive on it.

Neighbors became impatient and tried to make their own makeshift bridge.

"I get there’s a lot of white tape, but we still need to find a way to get out because we have hard-working, blue-collared Americans back here that need to get to work. They are losing their money, losing their jobs and a lot of people lost their houses," Joubert said.

Travis County's response

Dig deeper:

Travis County officials said fixing the bridge is going to be a longer process. They said they are working with the Texas Division of Emergency Management to get a temporary bridge set up, then for a long-term solution they will need to assess the structural viability of the bridge. 

They said during the flooding it sustained damage that impacted its structural integrity.

What you can do:

Travis County officials said resources have been taken to residents, and they will continue to be.

The American Red Cross has established a dedicated Family Assistance Hotline to help those seeking to locate missing family members following the recent flooding in Travis County ESD #1 (Lago Vista/Northwest Travis County).

If you are searching for a loved one, call 1-800- RED-CROS or 1-800-733-2767. Please note: This number is specifically for those affected by the flooding in the Lago Vista/Northwest Travis County area.