Family Praises Divine Protection after Clinging to Tree during Texas Flood
A Texas woman is crediting divine intervention after she and her family climbed a tree before being rescued from the deadly flood that ravaged the region and killed more than 100 individuals over the Fourth of July weekend. Melissa Higginbotham of Leander, Texas, told KXAN that she noticed water in her front yard around midnight the evening of Independence Day when her father began knocking frantically on her front door.
“We got to go,” she remembers him saying.
She, her father and her daughter ran to her car to escape but soon were overtaken by floodwaters. Seconds later, they abandoned her car and piled into her dad’s truck, KXAN reported.
“My car floated off, we still haven’t found it,” Higginbotham said. “And then we watched our neighbors in their double-wide float past us with their whole family in the house. They fortunately hit some trees back here and stopped and made it.”
Her dad’s truck began floating as well. With darkness all around and floodwaters rising, hope appeared dim.
Thankfully, though, the truck hit a tree, giving them precious moments to desert the truck and climb the tree, where they stayed perched for about two hours until emergency crews arrived.
“God was with us and God made sure we were okay,” Higginbotham told KXAN.
They survived.
A nearby congregation, Round Mountain Baptist Church, is helping the community recover by passing out water and food. The small town is rallying, Higginbotham said.
“It’s Leander at its best, no two ways about it,” Higginbotham said. “Community supporting community.”
The death toll from the flash flood rose to 107 Tuesday -- a tally that includes 56 adults and 30 children from just a single county, Kerr, home to the popular Christian camp, Camp Mystic. The camp posted a message on its website Monday, saying it is “grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors.”
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” it said. “We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities, who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level. We ask for your continued prayers, respect, and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.”
Photo Credit: ©Screen grab/KXAN
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published July 08, 2025.
