Originally published May 28, 2015
The death toll has now risen to two confirmed cases as a second body was found in Caldwell County on Tuesday. Hays County officials are now saying that there are 30 missing people from the Memorial weekend flood.
There are stories throughout the community that indicate the death toll may rise.
Officials have not released the name of the deceased.
This is the worst flood in Wimberley history. It struck in the late hours of Saturday night and washed away hundreds of homes and claimed lives.
“What we saw in the aftermath is total devastation in some areas of our community,” Wimberley City Administrator Don Ferguson said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before. This community is not new to flooding but to the magnitude we saw, it is a new game.”
The last estimate by Wimberley Fire Chief Carroll Czichos was that at least 70 homes had been completely swept away within the Wimberley Valley alone. Hays County said during a press conference on Monday that they estimated more than 1,200 homes were damaged in the Wimberley area alone.
According to information from the emergency management center, the Blanco River peaked Sunday at 43.2 feet in Wimberley and was flowing at more than 223,000 cubic feet per second. Flood stage is 12 feet.
The water, flowing from 12 inches of rain in Blanco, reached Wimberley at about 10:45 p.m. The river was resting at about six feet in depth at 10:15 p.m. By 10:45 the level was at 12 feet. At midnight, the river approached the previous record flood at 32 feet when the gauge to measure the river flow broke. From that point, it is estimated the river reached over 43 feet, though some watermarks throughout town suggest it may have been much higher.
“I’ve got the mark from the ’98 flood,” Steve Meeks, owner of Rio Bonito said. “I think this could have been 50 feet high.”
Rio Bonito was completely destroyed with all cabins receiving incredible damage.
Other landmark businesses along the Blanco River were likewise destroyed. The cabins at 7A Ranch floated down the river. In both instances, all visitors had been evacuated.
About a dozen businesses on the lower part of the Wimberley Square were flooded by the Blanco River as it pushed up the creek forcing Cypress Creek to flow backwards.
While the death toll may rise, the warning actions of the city of Wimberley and Hays County may have saved many lives.
The city of Wimberley issued multiple emergency calls to residents updating them on the situation and asking them to evacuate. Hays County also sent out an emergency call via 9-11.
Local first responders began going door to door to try and get people to leave.
Not everyone made it out before the water hit. There were over 100 swift water rescues performed with many people being pulled from rooftops by boats and helicopters.
“It’s amazing when one of the first things you see in the morning dawn after the flood are sleeping bags on the rooftops left by individuals who were rescued, in daring rescues, by first responders in darkness,” Ferguson said.
Those who were evacuated were steered to the Wimberley High School where a shelter was set up. Around 350 people stayed the night though most left or were moved to other shelters by Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, the shelters were being closed up and the state government was beginning to take charge of the recovery effort. At last notice, volunteers were asked to go to Cypress Creek Church to sign in and begin the process. There are many places in the community that are accepting donations including Ace Hardware, Wimberley High School, Cypress Creek Church, Crisis Bread Basket and Brookshire Brothers.
