Lower Colorado River Authority officials warned Wednesday that the flooding risk in Central Texas was not over and area lake levels were rising. Heavy rain overnight and Wednesday morning led to flooding Wednesday in Williamson, Lampasas and Burnet counties.

Scott Guest / KVUE News

Flooding in Marble Falls overturned vehicles and left damage in its wake.

Officials reported there were 32 rescues from flooded parts of Marble Falls. Mayor Raymond Whitman said there were no fatalities. A wall of water left widespread destruction in the small Hill Country community. Two bridges collapsed, and Texas Department of Transportation workers were scouting other bridges for damage in the area. Vehicles were scattered across roads and in creek beds.

Whitman says some predawn helicopter rescues had to be aborted, but that daylight improved the rescue situation.

Austin-Travis County emergency officials say there were multiple reports of persons trapped in fast moving water atop vehicles, on roofs -- or clinging to trees. At least 20 such incidents were reported.

Helicopters and boats were used in Granite Shoals and Marble Falls. Rescuers moved house to house to provide assistance in the areas hardest hit.

To the rescue

Fire and rescue resources from the Westlake Fire Department, Hudson Bend Fire Department and Austin Fire Department assisted with rescue efforts in Marble Falls.

Gover Rick Perry's office said the Texas National Guard is on the move to lend a hand to the flood-related emergencies throughout Texas.

The Guard says that ground transport groups have been deployed to at least ten areas from the Red River to the Rio Grande. They include Gainesville, Sherman, Fort Worth, Denton, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Eastland and Weslaco.

“The state stands ready to help these communities respond to emergencies and recover from the heavy storms and rains that have saturated the area,” said Perry. “We will continue to work with local officials to ensure the safety of all Central Texas residents.”

About 150 soldiers and 50 vehicles are part of the deployment. The Guard statement says each ground package consists of 30 troops, ten high-clearance trucks and various support vehicles. Those include Humvees, a fuel truck, a wrecker, portable water tanks and generators.

More than 19 inches of rain has fallen in Marble Falls since 11 p.m. Tuesday. An emergency shelter has been set up at the Marble Falls Middle School.

Major water breaks have occurred in Marble Falls and officials advise people there to boil their drinking water and ask people to conserve water as much as possible.

Courtesy: Dave Raaum

San Gabriel River near Leander

Williamson County

The San Gabriel River near Georgetown has swollen beyond its banks. The massive wall of water is moving downstream into the Brazos River. Officials remind people to not to try to pass flooded bridges.

Road closings in Williamson County included CR 200, CR 279, FM 3405 at 183, CR 208, Block House at the low water crossing, Taylor Smith at FM 1869, Hwy 183 a half mile south of the San Gabriel River, FM 487 at Beck in Florence, 5050 CR 236, 183 north of Seward Junction, CR 214, Hwy 29 wet of CR 200, CR 282, CR 305.

For road closings in Travis County, click here.

Rivers and dams

LCRA projected Lake Travis to rise to an elevation of up to 695 to 697 feet by Thursday afternoon. Lake Travis is holding the floodwaters until they can be safely released downstream. It could reach 691 feet as early as the middle of Wednesday afternoon. At an elevation range of 687 to 690, Lake Travis would affect houses that have been built deep in the lake’s flood pool, such as in the Graveyard Point community.

LCRA opened a fourth floodgate Wednesday morning at Mansfield Dam, which forms Lake Travis, to pass through runoff from overnight storms of up to 19 inches in some locations in the Hill Country.

"This is going to be an ongoing flood event. It's not going to be over today," said Joe Beal, LCRA general manager. "We know the amount of water that we are dealing with today -- we have it in the system, we have made projections.... It's going to take days if not weeks for us to finally let this water drain out of the lake."

At 1 p.m. LCRA opened one floodgate at Buchanan Dam, which forms Lake Buchanan. Four floodgates are open at Wirtz Dam which forms Lake LBJ, while all 10 floodgates are open at Starcke Dam, which forms Lake Marble Falls. At Tom Miller Dam which forms Lake Austin, two floodgates are fully open and one floodgate is partially open.

The City of Austin has closed Lake Austin, Town Lake and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam to recreational activities.

The last time four gates were open at Mansfield Dam was during the “Thanksgiving Flood” of November 2004.

Officials remind people to stay away from the rushing water.

Heavy rain is expected to continue in the area throughout the day. Rain is in KVUE's seven day forecast through July 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.