AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Fire Department crews are clearing the scene along Shoal Creek Tuesday morning after a search turned up no one in need of rescue. Officials said a caller believed he heard people calling for help in the rushing water.
The department said the caller never actually saw anyone in the creek but reported hearing what he thought were voices calling for help. Firefighters searched Shoal Creek from Hancock Drive to 38th Street in Central Austin but did not locate anyone in the water or along the banks who needed assistance, according to the department.
The search began around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday near Hancock Drive, close to Mopac and U.S. 2222, after the initial report of possibly three people swept into the water. Austin police said that officials believed anyone who may have been in the creek got out safely on their own.
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The search unfolded as a significant flash flood threat hit Central Texas. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center had placed the southwestern Hill Country under a rare level 3 out of 4 “moderate” flood risk, with the I-35 corridor and the rest of Central Texas under a level 2 “slight” risk.
CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco noted that just an inch of rain falling within 30 minutes Tuesday morning was enough to raise alarm, as storms had already dumped more than 10 inches of rain west of San Antonio overnight. He said 1 to 3 inches of additional rain is likely across the region Tuesday, with isolated totals up to 6 inches possible in the Hill Country.
More heavy rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday mornings before drier weather returns this weekend. Officials continued to urge residents to avoid high water and stay away from creeks and rivers swollen by the rain.