Austin Texas News

FRANKLIN, Texas — Patricia Schulz pointed at the ground where the mobile home used to sit.  “It’s normally right here, facing the other direction,” she said, looking at the home that flipped over in the storm. “It was picked up and thrown on that house over there.” RELATED: ‘One minute you’re normal, the next you’re homeless’: How a Franklin teen saved his father from tornado Schulz’s daughter and son-in-law live in the home. She recalled…

FRANKLIN, Texas — Despite the devastation, the words mumbled among many of the neighbors in the neighborhood along Highway 79 and Ranch Road 46 in Franklin was “we will rebuild.” Sunday morning was a day to pick up what was left for the Henry family. Their duplex was completely destroyed. Walls, windows and the roof were scattered all across the land, and among the debris was just a few of the salvageable things they owned….

A group from Hutto headed to Franklin, Texas on Sunday to help clean up after the town was hit by an EF-3 tornado on Saturday. The group, 7 Slot Response, is back in the town for a second day after helping with cleanup on Saturday. “We’re gearing up for another day!” the group wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday. The group calls itself “a group of Jeepers committed to helping others in the event…

FRANKLIN, Texas — The tornado that swept through Franklin Saturday destroyed 55 homes, a church, four businesses and a duplex, Robertson County Emergency Management Coordinator Billy Huggins said at a press conference Sunday morning. Huggins said one trailer home with five people in it rolled over multiple times, throwing every person out of it. Amazingly, Huggins said none of those people were seriously hurt. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth estimated the peak wind…

SPRING, Texas (AP) – Officials say a worker has fallen to his death from a structure at a Houston-area water park amid preparations to open next month for the season. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened Friday afternoon at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Spring. Deputies say the man died after apparently falling from an unspecified structure. Investigators say the death appears to have been an accident. Officials with Six Flags…

DALLAS (AP) – Two children were killed and about a dozen people were injured in Texas Saturday after powerful storms spawned at least one suspected tornado and damaged several homes, authorities said. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old died when strong winds toppled a tree onto the back of their family’s car in Lufkin while it was in motion. Capt. Alton Lenderman said the parents, who were in the front…

Central Texas saw some wild weather Saturday morning, with severe thunderstorm warnings in several counties. People took to social media to share what they were seeing come down in their yards. RELATED: Dry, breezy conditions move in for the rest of the weekend in Central Texas Fred Cruz shared this photo of approximately half-inch sized hail in Helotes: The hail was a little bigger at Cross Mountain: And bigger still off I-10 and Camp Bullis…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – A developing upper-level low pressure system will be the driving force behind showers and storms throughout Central Texas heading into the weekend. Storms will develop in West Texas late Friday night before moving towards the I-35 corridor Saturday morning.  With increasing moisture and moderate instability in place, some thunderstorms that develop could become strong or severe. Any severe storms could produce large hail and damaging straight-line winds. An isolated tornado or…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – State officials are reminding people about the state’s sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies which will be April 27-29. In a news release, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar says it’s all so that families, homes and businesses will have the supplies they need to face severe weather and other emergencies. Hegar says his office estimates that shoppers will save more than $1.6 million in state and local sales taxes…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding Texans they will be able to purchase certain items tax-free April 27-29 during the state’s sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies. Hegar said in a release that the holiday is to help Texans save money while stocking up for emergency situations like hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes. “While we can’t know in advance when the next flood, tornado or hurricane may strike, we can make…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – Austin is tied with Houston for the most natural disaster-prone major metro area in the state of Texas, according to a new study by real estate brokerage Redfin. Redfin analyzed the frequency of five major types of natural disasters–earthquakes, fires, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes–in the country’s 50 most populous metro areas using Disaster Declaration Summaries data from FEMA going back to 1953. These were converted to a scale from…

AUSTIN, Texas — Ginger Schneider has owned the property on the corner of Kimbro Street and 7th Street in Taylor since 1984. She has had issues with flooding since then as well. So when it started raining this past weekend, she knew what to expect. RELATED: Spring thunderstorms drench Central Texas “It just swirls around and jumps through our backyard. These rocks were all floating down the street. These timbers — that’s how strong the…

TAYLOR, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – Runoff from Saturday’s storm in Taylor continues to drain away, although a few spots of standing water still have to be avoided. On the Northside of town, near the intersection of Mallard Lane and Davis St, cleaning crews were busy Monday at about a half dozen homes. Water was pulled out of soggy carpet, electrical systems were repaired. Sandy Oranday spent the morning mopping up the last of what came into…

AUSTIN, Texas — Weekend storms drenched Central Texas, dumping more than 6 inches of rain in communities like Taylor. On Monday, neighbors like the Reynas on Burkett Street continued cleaning up. Susie Reyna has worked to cut up and get rid of carpeting. “Trying to get the carpet out first, before it starts getting molded,” said Reyna. Storms have flooded Reyna’s home so many times now that she said she has lost count. “It’s too…