Texas man climbed on top of meter box to save himself amid catastrophic floods that killed 120
HUNT, TEXAS: A Texas man has shared his horrifying experience of survival amid the devastating flood waters that have taken the lives of at least 120 people in the state.
As per Christian Fell, he did not have any update about the weather until he saw that his house was full of water.
His home in Hunt, Texas, started to fill with water in the early hours of Friday, July 4, and by the time he realized the danger, it was too late.
Christian Fell found water up to his ankles inside his house after waking up during the flooding
Christian Fell told KSAT, “Originally, I thought someone broke into the house because I had no idea there was going to be a storm, or even, like, a flood. So, when I got up to go look and see what was going on, my feet hit the floor, and there was water up to my ankles, at that point.”
Fell also revealed that he attempted to escape his home via the kitchen, but as he opened the door, he found a “huge wall of water” coming toward him.
He said, “I tried closing the door, and I couldn't get that done because just how powerful the water was, and so I had to go back further into the house.”
Christian Fell climbed onto ‘meter box’ to save himself
The man then took the help of his floating furniture and went inside his bedroom.
“By that point, everything was floating. There was nothing to get on top of. So, I had to swim through a window and hold on to the meter box outside of the house,” Fell added.
He reportedly stood on top of the box for three hours before he saw a police officer walking in the street.
“It wasn’t until I saw the police officer walking on the street when I realized the water had lowered enough where I could climb down,” he added, before noting, “I need to survive. There’s nothing really else that I’m thinking about. After I got off the phone with 911 for the last time, I kind of realized that I needed to save myself.”
Kerr County officials under fire for saying they didn't know the flood was coming
As per Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, the lives of nearly 36 children and 59 adults have been taken away by the floods in Kerr County alone, while over 150 people were still missing as of Wednesday, July 9, morning.
Amid this, local authorities have been facing scrutiny as officials like County Judge Rob Kelly have claimed they “did not know this flood was coming,” despite the National Weather Service reportedly issuing a flood watch last Thursday.
In the early hours of Friday, an update was shared via Facebook to the people of Kerr County that read, “Flooding along the Guadalupe River is happening now. Be safe and move to higher ground. Do not drive through water. Turn Around - Don't Drown!”
