New mural will commemorate Onion Creek flood of 2013

A mural commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Onion Creek flood that devastated Onion Creek neighborhoods will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, 8652 Nuckols Crossing Road. Mayor Kirk Watson, City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes and Travis County Constable George Morales will speak at the ceremony, taking place at the site of the mural near the intersection of Vine Hill and Onion Creek drives in the park. Onion Creek flood survivors participated in a series of focus groups with artist Alonso Estrada to collaborate on the mural, which is inspired by an ancient Native American myth of a wild white horse that inhabited Onion Creek. The mural tells the story of the community members who survived as they struggled to save their neighbors from floodwaters. Following a second flood in 2015, the city offered buyouts to relocate residents and return the flood-prone area to nature. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department invested $4 million to establish Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, completed in 2019. Austin-based artist Alonso Estrada was chosen in an open call to complete the mural. It was produced by PARD’s Dougherty Arts Center staff in partnership with the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Watershed Protection Department, the Office of Resiliency and community service organization GAVA (Go Austin Vamos Austin).