It had been raining all night -- as much as 13 inches fell in a span of 48 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Villella's wife Laura woke to her husband's yelling and, still in her pajamas, grabbed her phone, purse and medications. The carpets were coming off and the ceiling was drooping. The couple waded through the home as the water continued to rise, reaching the kitchen, where Laura grabbed a meat grinder and broke a window to try to get out.
But the water outside was roughly 2 inches from the window sill. So they waited.
At 8 a.m., emergency workers rescued them, pulling them through the shattered glass of their kitchen window.
"I've been through a lot in my life, but that's the scaredest I've ever been," said Laura Villella, who was at a shelter in the First Baptist Church near downtown Llano after their rescue. The couple was one of about two dozen huddled there Tuesday morning, though many more had been evacuated from along the Llano River.
Two days of ceaseless rain forced the Llano from its banks starting at 9:40 a.m. Monday, according to Lower Colorado River Authority data. By Tuesday, the river had reached nearly 40 feet. The force of the water was so strong it took out the RM 2900 bridge that connects Kingsland to Horseshoe Bay.
Across Central Texas, rains prompted evacuations, school closures and a disaster declaration from the governor for 18 affected counties. A person's body was found in Lake LBJ, though how the person died was unknown Tuesday afternoon.
Llano-area residents at the shelter said they had never seen anything like Tuesday's floods.
"I've been skiing under that bridge for the last 45 years," said engineer Kim King, who was stuck at FM 1431 trying to get to Kingsland after the road was closed.
Mucky brown water from the river crept over the tops of some houses in the area. Just the tin roof of boat dock of one home could be seen poking out from the river.
At around 7 a.m., the Llano River crested at just shy of 40 feet, nearly 30 feet above flood stage and almost beating the record set in 1935, when it rose to 41.5 feet.
Though the river had fallen by Tuesday afternoon, forecasters warned that residents in the area were not in the clear. The river was expected to rise slowly overnight as rain continued to fall, and it would crest again, this time even higher, at 40.1 feet on Wednesday morning, according to the weather service.
"It won't take much to keep it in flood stage, that's the key message to get across," meteorologist Eric Platt said. "The ground is so wet, anything that falls will continue to be converted into runoff. We have several rivers that are flooding."
Sandy Creek near Kingsland, the Pedernales River near Johnson City and the South Fork San Gabriel River in Williamson County also rose above flood stage Tuesday, prompting flood warnings near those rivers. Residents were forced to evacuate, and emergency workers mobilized across Central Texas to rescue people from the floodwaters.
More than 200 low water crossings across Central Texas were closed Tuesday for widespread flooding.
At about noon a person's body was found in on the east bank of Lake LBJ in a neighborhood between Kingsland and Highland Haven, Burnet County Capt. Tom Dillard said. No other information was immediately available about the victim.
"We still have water coming down vertically, but now we're dealing with water coming in horizontally," Dillard said at the time.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a state disaster declaration Tuesday for 18 counties affected by flooding, including Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Llano and Mason counties, meaning state resources will be made available to assist local officials.
"Texas is taking immediate action to respond to the threat of recent severe weather and flooding across the state," Abbott said. "We have made available all necessary resources to respond as quickly and effectively as possible to this disaster, and to assist those in harm's way. I thank all our first responders and local officials on the ground in these communities for their efforts to assist fellow Texans during this dangerous event."
The devastating flooding was matched with blustering cold temperatures, with Tuesday's high peaking at Austin's main weather station at Camp Mabry at 50 degrees, the lowest high temperature ever recorded on Oct. 16. The previous record was 61 degrees in 1912.
Llano County emergency management coordinator Ron Anderson said 105 were evacuated in Llano County because of flooding.
"The impacts of this are going to be felt for a couple of days," he said. "We want people to understand that they are not going to be able to return to their homes for some period of time, for maybe the next 24 to 36 hours, because the Llano River will be due to rise again in the overnight and early morning hours. ... We ask that people do not attempt to go back home if you've evacuated."
In Granite Shoals, police said they had been stretched thin responding to 911 calls.
"Please pray for our community and the surrounding areas. This will be affecting all of us for some time," police Capt. Chris Decker wrote on Facebook.
In Williamson County, a woman and a child had to be rescued after a vehicle washed off a low water crossing Tuesday morning on County Road 252 near Andice.
A Leander school bus driver was arrested after trying to drive through a barricaded low water crossing and getting stuck with a middle school student on the bus, school officials said. Leander police and fire personnel rescued the driver and student from the water. No one was injured, authorities said.
Near Marble Falls, the Colorado River -- muddied to a likeness of chocolate milk -- was rushing Tuesday over the top of Max Starcke Dam, which forms Lake Marble Falls.
Carlos Neira, 72, who lives two blocks from the Colorado River on Louise Street, left his home in the morning as floodwaters crept closer.
"The Fire Department came by and said, 'Get out of here now,'" Neira said. "I moved here from Houston after Hurricane Harvey ... so I'm kind of used to this."
Marble Falls City Secretary Christina McDonald said high water had damaged about 85 homes. The city's wastewater treatment was stressed by the floodwaters, and residents were told not to do laundry and to cut back on showering and flushing toilets.
LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose said Tuesday that Lake Travis was rising at a rate of about a foot an hour; from midnight to 4 p.m., it had taken on more than 14 feet of water. By Tuesday evening it was 107 percent full, a stark difference from only a couple months ago, when drought conditions had drained the lake and limited water use.
And though the replenishment was welcomed, the LCRA warned that the floodwaters were swift and strong, prompting it to close the Highland Lakes to recreational use.
"This is a serious flood," the LCRA said. "Please take precautions to protect people and property."
The LCRA began opening floodgates at Mansfield and Tom Miller dams at noon Tuesday. Flood operations were continuing Tuesday evening at every dam along the Highland Lakes.
Barton Springs Pool, the Barton Creek greenbelt and all Austin waterways were closed due to rising water that rushed downstream from the Llano River. Austin High School dismissed students early Tuesday afternoon due to flood concerns along Lady Bird Lake.
"Flooding could reach near the building tonight," the school said in an email to parents.
The city of Austin's Watershed Department said its main concern with Lady Bird Lake is the potential flooding of Cesar Chavez Street at Lamar Boulevard. After the lake reaches a certain level, water will start flowing into drainage pipes and out of storm drain inlets at the intersection. The department has placed "inflatable bladders" at storm drain inlets to prevent the water flowing onto the street. Barricades also have been placed at the intersection in case it needs to be closed.
LCRA rain gauges showed a little more than 2 1/2 inches of rain had fallen in the Austin metro area Monday and Tuesday, with higher totals in the Hill Country, and no sign of it stopping anytime soon.
Light showers were expected Wednesday, when forecasters put rain chances at 40 percent. The weather service said the biggest concern would be on Thursday, when another surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will increase rain chances and rainfall amounts, likely southwest of San Antonio and northward into the Hill Country and the Interstate 35 corridor.
Meteorologists say the soil already is saturated, and any rain that falls will result in runoff.
A flash flood watch is in effect for the Hill Country, including Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie and Llano counties, until Thursday night.
"This isn't over. There's more rain on the way," state Rep. Terry Wilson's chief of staff, Jeff Frazier, said. "Everyone needs to stay safe and err on the side of caution because water is more dangerous than people account for. Don't worry about taking pictures. Staying safe is the No. 1 priority."
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