Kellee Coleman’s mother has been living in her house near Onion Creek since 1976  until flash floods damaged it on the morning of Halloween. Coleman grew up in the house; although she was not there to witness the floods, she was there to see the aftermath.

“There was about 46 inches of water inside the house, everything on the floor was destroyed,” Coleman said.

On Oct. 31  the neighborhoods of Dove Springs and Bluff Springs were flooded, and the City of Austin is still inspecting homes to assess the exact amount of homes that were damaged.

Mayor of Austin, Lee Leffingwell, declared a local state of disaster on Nov. 4. Water levels at Onion Creek reached a record high of 41 feet and rose 11 feet in fifteen minutes. The creek’s highest flow rate during the flood was 120,000 cubic feet per second, which is almost double the average flow rate of Niagara Falls, according to the City of Austin’s Flood Damage Assessment Update. 

According to the Dean of Students Office, two students who were affected by the flood have been brought to their attention, but it is possible that there are more. For the past month, professors, administrators and classmates have been working together to get these students’ lives back on track.

Coleman, a junior sociology major, has been helping her family deal with the disaster while simultaneously working and going to school. 

She said that it has been rough, but her professors have been understanding and flexible. Coleman missed two weeks of school helping her mother.

Jennifer Wichman, residence director for Student Conduct who works in the Dean of Students Office, said that they are doing what they can to help students. There are many resources available  for affected students.

“Residence Life is offering emergency housing, the Health and Counseling Center and Campus Ministry are there to offer support and we are here to assist with communicating with faculty if students need help with that,” Wichman said.

It was 6 a.m. when Colman’s brother woke up to find water coming into the house. He gathered his girlfriend, his 21-month-old son and his 62-year-old mother and ran through the backyard to escape the incoming flood water. He broke down a fence in the backyard to be able to get away more quickly. Later, he risked his life knocking on doors warning neighbors about the flood.

“I’m blessed that my family was safe and our friends were safe,” Coleman said.

As part of their Day of Service, some students at St. Edward’s helped those affected by the floods. Students who are part of the Hurricane Katrina Alternative Spring Break group at St. Edward’s helped flood victims by volunteering on Nov. 16.

 Even with outside help, Coleman said she is still annoyed at the whole situation.

“I’m frustrated at the lack of an evacuation plan. I’m upset about the lack of cohesion that  the City of Austin has shown,” she said.

On Nov. 20, the Dove Springs Recreation Center held a Thanksgiving feast for the community. Although Congressman Lloyd Doggett couldn’t personally be there, in an effort to show his support for those affected by the flood, he wrote an official greeting for the event.

“I will continue working with families in Dove Springs and in Bluff Springs as well as our local governmental leaders to seek every bit of assistance that we can secure,” he wrote.

 For information about volunteering, contact the Austin Disaster Relief Network.