Travis County on July 15 approved creation of a short-term relief fund run by the Central Texas Community Foundation and transferred $3 million from the county emergency reserve to the countyentral emergency response budget to support continuing flood response in the Big Sandy and Cow Creek areas.

The move followed public testimony from residents and volunteer coordinators who described widespread property damage, ongoing search and rescue needs, and frustration about coordination and access. Judge Amy Brown said the county would create the fund, to be named "Travis County Cares," and that the foundation would charge a 5% administrative fee and verify residency and damages before distributing emergency aid.

Why it matters: County leaders said federal and state teams are conducting damage assessments that could lead to FEMA public and individual assistance, but they also stressed immediate needs for debris removal, heavy equipment operators, and site-level coordination. The court
pproved a $3 million transfer from the county emergency reserve to Department 195 (centralized emergency response) to ensure funding is available for repairs and contractor work while reimbursement from FEMA is pursued.

County and state emergency officials described the initial response: the county said roughly 500 responders from local emergency services districts, Travis County EMS, the sheriff epartment and state teams took part after the July 5 storms; local fire and EMS reported about 50 rescue incidents that night involving approximately 200 people. TDEM (Texas Division of Emergency Management) personnel and FEMA teams are doing door-to-door damage assessments, the county said.

Residents and volunteers told the court the volunteer response was substantial but that government coordination and on-the-ground leadership was uneven. "The people of Sandy Creek and Leander are in crisis," resident Amanda Bird told the court. "The burden of emergency response should not fall on the shoulders of volunteers with no resources, little direction, and no support." John Tisci, a resident near the Big Sandy bridge, said the community had seen county deputies and park police provide key assistance but said county engineering and procurement processes delayed repairs to a bridge that left hundreds effectively cut off.

County staff said immediate debris removal had already begun under an emergency contract and that the court previously approved a roughly $44 million transfer from the emergency reserve to Department 195 for immediate debris pickup. Planning and Budget Office staff asked for the additional $3 million to cover an anticipated $850,000 in near-term repair costs and to maintain reserve capacity for any new emergency expenses.

The court voted unanimously to authorize the agreement with the Central Texas Community Foundation to host and administer the Travis County Cares relief fund and to transfer $3 million from the emergency reserve to Department 195. Judge Amy Brown moved the agreement; Commissioner Shea seconded. Commissioner Howard moved the budget transfer; Commissioner Shea seconded; both motions passed unanimously.

Residents urged faster operational decisions on bridge and road access, immediate coordination for specialized volunteer skills (heavy equipment operators, site leads, search teams), and clearer public communication portals for volunteers and survivors. County staff said they will coordinate volunteer check-in at an incident volunteer center and set up the fund with regular reporting and eligibility checks.

County officials emphasized that many recovery steps will depend on federal and state actions: FEMA amage assessments are ongoing and will influence the availability of federal public assistance. The county said it will seek FEMA reimbursement for eligible expenses but could not predict timing or the share of costs that would be covered.

Less critical details: the court said the foundation will report balances and distributions to the county and that the initial fund criteria will limit payments to verified Travis County residents with demonstrable damage. The court asked staff to return with updates on spending and reimbursements.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the court record and public comment made at the July 15 session.

Ending: County staff asked the public to coordinate volunteer efforts through the volunteer check-in being set up at the incident command, to donate to the newly authorized Travis County Cares fund once it is active, and to document damage for FEMA and county eligibility reviews.