SAN ANGELO — A San Angelo woman, Kyla Constancio, found herself in a life-threatening situation when flash floods hit the area early on July 4.

Bravely enduring a terrifying ordeal, Constancio clung to a tree outside her home for over an hour as rising waters surrounded her, refusing to give up until she was rescued.

Constancio, an elementary teacher, recounted the harrowing experience.

"It's was just so crazy because I told my aunt, like, I'm going to have to let go. My whole body hurts so bad just from holding on. And I was like, I can't hold on much longer, like I'm going to die. And she was saying, you're not going to die, like, don't let go," she said.

The ordeal began with a water sensor alert in her basement, which Constancio initially ignored.

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"My security system had detected a leak in my house. And so they called me, and I just kind of ignored it, and, it called my second contact, which was my aunt," she said. Her aunt urged her to check the situation, leading to a frantic escape as waters surged past her waist and appliances floated around her.

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"And so when it's at my waist, you know, at that point my fridge is floating in my house, my couch is floating in my house, everything is floating. So then I kind of start panicking and 911 is still telling me to stay inside on my countertops. So when it finally got to my chest is the point where it panic, you know, ensued. I, I was thinking, I have to get out. My aunt told me you have to get out," Constancio said.

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Her uncle and a local boater managed to reach her, finding her clinging to the tree.

"So they just grabbed my arms and my legs and just threw me on. And now we were stuck with the boat between the gate and the current was so strong, so that it took us probably ten minutes to get out and get to safety just because the boat couldn't even pull through the current," she said.

Constancio expressed her gratitude for her family's support and the bravery of her neighbors. "My uncle is my hero, and he. He did save me. And my aunt, you know, she I don't I wouldn't have survived without them," she said.