Last month went down as Austin’s wettest October on record, ending in major flooding on Halloween morning that forced the evacuation of more than a thousand homes in Southeast Austin and Travis County.
The Burleson Heights and Burleson-Parker neighborhoods made it through the storm mostly unharmed, but many roads in the area are damaged or closed. Our neighborhood received 4.6 inches of rain on Oct. 31, compared with more than 9 inches in parts of South Austin.
Nearby, the American Red Cross set up a shelter at Parker Lane United Methodist Church, 2105 Parker Lane. Last night, several families at the shelter participated in the church’s first Trunk or Treat event, at which parishioners decorated their cars and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters in the church parking lot. A second shelter is open farther south, at Dove Springs Recreation Center, 5801 Ainez Drive.
See the shelter website to find out how you can volunteer or make a donation to help people displaced by the floods.
Emergency resources
See the following resources to report or learn about floods and other emergencies in the Austin area. You can also find more links on the right rail of the Hurly-Burly home page.
Burleson Heights neighborhood news
Website: BurlesonHeights.com
Twitter: @HurlyBurlyATX
City of Austin
Website: AustinTexas.gov
Twitter: @austintexasgov
City of Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Website: Austin HSEM
Twitter: @AustinHSEM
Facebook: Facebook.com/DisasterReadyAustin
Power outages
Online map: Austin Energy Storm Center
Phone: (512) 322-9100
Floods, low-water crossings and evacuation areas
Online map: ATXFloods.com
Twitter: @ATXfloods
Austin-Travis County traffic reports
Traffic incidents and closures
Phone numbers
- 911: Use to report police, fire and medical emergencies.
- 311: Report non-emergencies and get access to city departments.
- 211: Get information about disaster resources, health care, child care and other services. See details from United Way and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Displaced animals
- Austin Humane Society website and Facebook page
- Austin Animal Center website and Facebook page
- Reuniting horses and their owners: www.facebook.com/onioncreekflood
How to help
Volunteer
Local nonprofit groups say it will take thousands of volunteers to help clean up flood debris and assist flood victims. United Way for Greater Austin has set up a single point of access for flood-related volunteering needs. Register at Hands On Central Texas.
Donate
Financial donations provide shelter, food, gift cards and other goods for flood victims and provide food and supplies for relief workers. Some of the groups needing donations are American Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way and Austin Disaster Relief Network.
This site's manager has lived in Burleson Heights since 1996 and uses this blog to share helpful information with neighbors.
The Hurly-Burly 
Hi,
Referring to the devastation in South Austin areas, here is another link to add to your post about the victims. All the horses that are still missing, others that have been found alive but the owners have not been located…here is a link to the FB page that helps to track them: https://www.facebook.com/onioncreekflood.
Please post this information so others can share it to help these folks out in learning about their horses, livestock and pets.
Thanks,
Helen Fleming
Thanks for putting this comprehensive list together!
We’re also listing volunteer opportunities to help with clean-ups and so on, here’s the full list of what we’re doing: http://www.unitedwayaustin.org/11/2013/donations-needed-for-long-term-flood-relief-efforts/?preview=true&preview_id=8905&preview_nonce=2864f0d0fb
Thank you for putting together a great list and sharing about the need and ways to help. Here’s the latest update from The Salvation Army of Austin. http://www.salvationarmytexas.org/austin/news/salvation-army-allocates-25000-flood-victims/