AUSTIN, Texas — Dramatic video shows a man trapped inside his car “floating down some sort of creek” after flash flooding in the Austin area.
The video was shot by Kerry Packer as he floated down Rinard Creek near the intersection of Old Lockhart Highway and Bradshaw Road in Austin.
In the video, Kerry described what was happening around him:
“It’s flooding here, but the good news is although my car almost tipped over on its top, it didn’t. So, you can see I’m floating down some sort of creek in this weather. I called 911 and they told me to roll down my windows and stay in the car. Hopefully they will be here soon. Love you guys.”
Kerry’s wife, Cecelia, sent the video to KVUE. A short time later, the TV station spoke to Kerry on the phone and he told the station he was out of his car and now 20-feet up a tree.
“It swept my car sideways and almost tipped me over. Thankfully it didn’t. It probably swept me half a mile into the woods,” Kerry said. He continued, “As soon as the car was almost filled with water, I swept past a tree and I jumped out the window and climbed up a tree.”
Kerry said he is a little cold but fine, attributing his 20 years in Boy Scouts for helping him know how to keep his energy up and stay warm.
“As far as I can see around me, there is water. It looks like I’m in the middle of a lake,” he said. “My car is completely submerged now.”
Kerry said his wife is doing okay, but she told him she is thankful he climbed a lot of trees when he was a kid.
According to KVUE, Kerry was still in the tree waiting to be rescued as of 1:50 p.m. ET.