Bell County (roughly 40 miles north of Austin) was struck by a rogue thunderstorm early on the morning of May 22, 2007 that dumped 6-8 inches of rain in about 2 hours.  At about 6am STAR Flight was requested to assist in the rescue of three individuals trapped in their vehicles by the fast-rising water.

Within ten minutes, STAR Flight was able to shorthaul all three individuals to safety.

These pictures were taken about an hour after the rescues occurred and the waters had receded significantly.  Two of the victims were standing on the rooftops of the vehicles in the center of the picture.  The third was rescued from a truck that is still underwater behind a tree about 50 feet to the left of the vehicles.  The pictures below show some of the surrounding areas that STAR Flight over flew as they searched for more victims.  Due to the quick actions and early request for assistance by first responders, no known deaths occurred in this flood.

STAR Flight is a Travis County funded rescue helicopter operation that provides EMS, fire fighting, and rescue services to the citizens of Central Texas.  We are staffed 24/7 and are typically airborne in 4-8 minutes from the initial request.

Click on the links below to see video...

    Fox 7 video footage

    KXAN video footage - short clip
    KXAN video footage - long clip

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