Clinging to Hope: Texas Couple Survives 4-Hour Flood Ordeal Holding onto a Post

Clinging to Hope: A Texas Couple’s Harrowing Survival During the July 4th Flood

In the quiet early hours of July 4, 2025, what should have been a day of celebration for Doug and Elizabeth Fuller turned into a fight for survival as unprecedented flash floods tore through Ingram, Texas, destroying homes, lives, and everything in between.

What began as steady rainfall overnight quickly escalated into a violent deluge. The Guadalupe River, usually a calm presence winding through the Hill Country, transformed into a merciless torrent. As the water began to seep into their home, the Fullers had little time to react. Within minutes, their entire neighborhood was overwhelmed.

“We didn’t think it would get that bad,” Doug recalled, standing among the ruins of what used to be their cozy home. “But when the water started coming through the doors like a broken dam, we knew we were in trouble.”

In the chaos, Doug rushed to save his most prized possessions—his guitars, some of which he’d owned for decades. As the water rose chest-high, he and Elizabeth tried to secure anything valuable and make their way to higher ground. But the current became too strong. Furniture floated like driftwood, windows shattered, and a wall of water surged through their living room.

With no time to flee, Doug grabbed a thick cedar post supporting their back awning, wrapping one arm around it and the other around his wife. They held on for dear life.

“It sounded like a freight train and a tornado fighting,” Doug said, voice shaking. “The water was dark, cold, filled with pieces of people’s lives—wood, metal, trees, even someone’s car roof passed us.”

For nearly four hours, they clung to that post in the pouring rain, their legs numb and their strength waning. The darkness, broken only by lightning flashes, seemed endless. All around them, the town they loved was being swept away.

At dawn, the waters finally began to recede. Shivering and exhausted, the couple found their footing on solid ground. Soon after, rescue workers arrived and rushed to check them for injuries. Though bruised and shaken, Doug and Elizabeth were alive—a miracle, given the storm’s fury.

Their house, like many in the area, was left uninhabitable. Mud-caked floors, collapsed walls, and scattered debris told the story of nature’s wrath. And yet, amidst the loss, there was one small victory: Doug’s favorite guitar, a vintage acoustic he thought had been lost, was discovered tucked safely in the attic crawl space, untouched by the flood.

“It was like a sign,” he said, cradling the instrument with trembling hands. “We lost so much, but not everything. We’re still here. And so is this.”

Their survival story is just one of many emerging from Kerr County, where the death toll from the July 4th flash flood continues to climb. Communities have been left without power, hundreds displaced, and rescue crews working around the clock to locate the missing.

Amid the devastation, neighbors are stepping up. Locals like Virginia Inez Raper have rallied the community, organizing food drives, shelter support, and emotional aid. “We have to rebuild together,” she said. “We’ve lost homes, but not our humanity.”

As recovery begins, the Fullers are focusing on gratitude. Their home may be gone, but their love, their music, and their spirit remain.

“In the darkest hours, we held on,” Elizabeth said. “To each other. To hope. And we’re still holding on.”