Slide Show: Caught in the Downpour

LLANO, Texas (KXAN) - Lake Travis continues to rise after an early morning flash flood on Sandy Creek and the Pedernales River.

The lake has risen 6 feet since the early morning flood, and it is forcast to rise as much as 6 more feet throughout the next few days.

The remnants of Pacific Hurricane Rick and an approaching cold front collided over the Texas Hill Country early Thursday morning, creating a dangerous flash flood that threatened homes, damaged property, and forced a rapid response by the LCRA.

LCRA Chief Meteorologist Bob Rose

While Lake Travis has risen 4 feet since Thursday morning, it could continue to rise by as much as 8 feet throughout the next two or three days as a result of rains that fell in the Hill Country overnight. As of 12:11 a.m. Thursday, 5.5 inches of rain had already fallen in three hours in the Kingsland area.

Flood washes away Llano County Road 309

Some 6- to 10 inches of rain fell in a few hours over the Hill Country, particularly in southeast Llano, Burnet, Gillespie and Blanco counties, causing a rapid rise of Sandy Creek near Kingsland and the Pedernales River in the Johnson City area.

A Sandy Harbor resident, Beverly, wrote in at 1:29 a.m. and said the water was approaching her house after Sandy and Walnut creeks rose several feet - she gauged as many as 6- to 7 feet.

The LCRA quickly opened flood gates at Wirtz and Starcke dams to control the flood waters, but the rapid rise reportedly caused damage to some boats, docks, and other property in the Sandy Harbor area and on the Pedernales River near its confluence with Lake Travis.

The water was as near as 10 feet to Beverly's house at 1:47 a.m., and she said she was happy to hear about the flood gates opening to alleviate rising waters.

"Water still rising--boat dock, boat and jet ski probably damaged," said Beverly in an e-mail. "We are so thankful to hear about the gates. We were almost to the point of leaving."

Another viewer reported at 2:20 a.m. that flooding was already bad in the Trails neighborhood across the creek from Sandy Harbor, "All of the boats in the marina are crushed up in the roof."

One floodgate was partially opened at Wirtz Dam and two full gates and a partial gate were opened at Starcke Dam as LCRA continued to pass through runoff from rains of up to more than 9 inches that fell in Kingsland and surrounding areas Wednesday evening and early Thursday.

Kingsland family rescued by neighbors

The flood waters are headed downstream into Lake Travis. Lake Travis has already risen about 4 feet since early Thursday morning, when LCRA began passing runoff into the lake from the overnight rains.

Lake Buchanan may rise about half a foot to near 993 feet mean sea level.

Upstream, water continued to flow over the spillway of Inks Dam, which has no flood gates.

LCRA said it expects flood operations at Inks, Wirtz and Starcke dams to continue until rainfall and runoff subside. No flood gate operations are expected at the other Highland Lakes dams: Buchanan, Mansfield or Tom Miller.

The dual floods swamped some property, especially boats and docks that have been positioned on mostly dry river bottoms. One large marina containing about 40 boats broke loose and was causing damage as it floated in Lake Travis near the Pedernales Rivers.