UPDATED: Flood Cleanup Continues

Yesterday, representatives from the City of Austin and Travis County gave a progress report on the cleanup effort following the Halloween flooding. Although the recovery efforts have made headway, there is still much work to be done.

UPDATE: Mayor Lee Leffingwell has issued a Local State of Disaster declaration. Leffingwell has also asked Gov. Rick Perry for assistance in making repairs and providing citizen relief. City Council will be considering an ordinance to waive permitting and development fees for residences affected by the flooding.

The Mayor has also asked that the regular City Council session to finish business by noon on Thursday in order to not postpone cleanup efforts. The work session planned for Tuesday has been cancelled.

EARLIER: According to City of Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the flooding affected at least 1,100 homes in Austin, with another 260 affected in Travis County. Twelve of those homes remain uninhabitable, while more than 300 have major damage. 125 tons of debris have been collected.

Many roads have been repaved and repaired, but some continue to have reduced or tapered lanes. Burleson Road is the only road that has not be reopened in some capacity.

The Flood Assistance Center at the Dove Springs Recreation Center (5801 Ainez) will remain open on a 24-hour basis until further notice. City and county officials have published a resource list available here. For those wishing to help, officials are asking that monetary donations be made directly to the Red Cross. An updated list of other ways to help is available here.

Meanwhile, officials are advising caution as rain continues to be in the forecast. Although no flash flooding is expected at this time, in some areas debris still remains a problem, causing water over roads. The River Plantation Drive bridge over Onion Creek was also closed today due to damage. The latest road closure information is available here.

Staff photographer John Anderson documented the aftermath of the flooding around Onion Creek and Dove Springs. Click here for the gallery.