May 24 - 25, 2015 Memorial Day Flood
As Wimberley turns the corner on a decade since the Memorial Day flood of 2015, we take a look back at the stories and photographs that captured that moment in time. In this “Ten Years After” edition we revisit the night the waters of the Blanco river roared through town; the week that followed when we began to learn the larger picture; and the five year anniversary that showed how far we’d come.
Now, ten years later, we remember and reflect on the journey we’ve taken.
Monica Michell
Our little neighborhood has changed. People have died, divorced, moved away. New people have moved in. There’s more traffic in town, more shops on the Square, more places to slake our hunger and thirst. I rarely run into anyone I know at the grocery store any more, though I see more and more of my friends at PT. The river is low, desperately low. And yet, my grandchildren still love to come.
My granddaughter was only two when the river filled our house ten years ago. She has no memory of that terrible time. Doesn’t remember the horror of all those downed trees, the depressing piles of waterlogged furniture, the trashbags full of lives too wet to salvage. She was too young to understand grief and loss, too little to remember our house the way it was before it wasn’t anymore. She and her brothers and cousins only know the joy of spending time at the river – of tubing down the little rapid, of kayaking to the deep pool to look for gar, of hunting for fossils, of chasing fireflies, of skipping rocks, and trying, always without success, to sneak up on the turtles sunning on Turtle Rock.
Our little neighborhood has changed. Wimberley has changed – in some ways for the better, in some ways not. Most of the changes have little to do with that historic flood. Most of the changes are just what happens over time. What hasn’t changed is the kindness rooted here in our little valley. Where I live, neighbors still mow each other’s yards, drop off casseroles, pick up the mail, help to change tires, check on each other’s pets, have potluck dinners, and pull together in a hundred small but important ways.
There’s something special about living on the river. And with that privilege comes a great responsibility. People who live here know that. We embrace that. I don’t think that will ever change.
Steve Thurber, former Mayor of Wimberley
“It has only been in the last month or so that I could talk about the flood and the days afterwards. I had never been in a situation like that – so unanticipated. But when something happens like that, you just have to show up.
The city responded so well. Within hours after the flood hit, the Community Center and the High School were set up for evacuees. The instantaneous response from everyone was heartwarming. It seemed that the best in everyone came out. Any previous divisions among them evaporated in the effort to help.
There are so many stories to tell. It was really tense, especially not knowing where people were and hearing about the rescues that were taking place.
The first responders played a key role. City Manager Don Ferguson was responsible for saving many lives in Flite Acres. He and Bill Bowers got people out and Don lost his truck to the floodwaters that night. The city was able to feed information to KWVH, our fledgling radio station. It received its license when visiting Senator John Cornyn made a few calls to expedite the process.
Fortunately for Wimberley as a whole, the entire town was not affected. The outside news media made it sound as if the entire town had washed away. The Chamber of Commerce immediately launched ads and stories that brought people back. Governor Abbott helped spread the word when he initiated a photo op with reporters showing him shopping with his wife on the Wimberley Square.
It’s strange what floats to the top of your memory. I like to tell the story of an elderly woman in a house on the river who slept through the whole flood. After waking, she went downstairs to her flooded kitchen and asked, “Who moved the refrigerator?”
Don Ferguson, former Wimberley City Administrator
Don Ferguson looked back on that fateful Memorial Day weekend in 2015 and shared his thoughts with an open letter to the community: “As we reflect on the 2015 Memorial Day Weekend in Wimberley, it’s impossible to ignore the devastating impact the Blanco River flood had on our beloved community. Many lives were tragically lost, the destruction was immense, and the road to recovery seemed daunting, but through it all, something remarkable happened. The people of Wimberley - our neighbors, friends, families, and businesses – showed an unparalleled strength and resilience that not only brought us back from the brink but also helped restore the very heart of our town.
This letter is a simple but heartfelt thank you. Thank you for your courage, your unity, and your unwavering spirit.
In the face of overwhelming loss, you came together with compassion and determination, not only to rebuild homes but also to rebuild lives. You lifted each other up in ways that words can hardly express. You proved that community is about more than just proximity; it’s about the bonds we share and the care we give.
From the first moments of the flood, we saw the best of Wimberley in action. Neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers from all over offering their hands and hearts, the tireless efforts of first responders who worked day and night to ensure everyone’s safety, and the quick actions of locally elected officials to facilitate recovery. Your resilience wasn’t just shown in the actions you took to restore what was lost, but in the hope you carried forward every single day.
Recovery wasn’t easy. Rebuilding homes, businesses, and infrastructure was a monumental task. But it was made possible by your dedication and your deep love for this town. Through long hours and challenging times, you stayed focused, determined, and hopeful. The stories of kindness, selflessness, and collaboration are countless, and they continue to inspire everyone who hears them.
What you’ve achieved in the years since that flood is nothing short of extraordinary. Wimberley has not only recovered but has grown stronger, more connected, and more united. The lessons learned from that experience – of resilience, community, and the unshakable will to rebuild - continue to guide us.
As we look to the future, let us carry forward the spirit of Wimberley that was so evident during that difficult time. May we always remember that in the face of adversity, we are never alone, and together, we are capable of overcoming anything.
Thank you for showing the world what it truly means to rebuild, not just structures, but lives. Your strength and resolve are a testament to the heart of Wimberley, and for that, we will forever be grateful.
With deepest gratitude, Don Ferguson, Wimberley City Administrator, 2007-2017
Will Conley, former Hays County Commissioner Pct. 3 and Wimberley School Board member; Wimberley resident.
Will Conley remembers that night in May 2015 when he, as a seasoned county commissioner with 10 years of public safety and transportation expertise under his belt, reached out to every personal, local, municipal, county, state and federal connection he had.
“What stands out about that night was being on the phone with every decisionmaker out there who could send us help.
In the ten years since the flood, we’ve seen improvements: in educating the public for disasters, in city infrastructure and in the flood indicators upstream.
The most important thing was that three hundred people were saved that night and thousands more were helped to recover, thanks to the coordination of many individuals and agencies. All of those people sprang into action, met the immediacy of the challenge, and came to our rescue.”
Cathy Moreman, former Director of the Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce
“My job was to support the local economy by getting the word out that Wimberley was still open for business. My husband and I lived in Saddle Ridge, an area not affected by the flood. Three or four days after the flood, I drove from my neighborhood, heading for the chamber, and was getting ready to cross the Ranch Road 12 bridge. Media people had set up camp by the bridge, using an overturned refrigerator that had washed up on the bank as a work surface. The media had been reporting that the whole town of Wimberley had washed away. When I saw them camped there, I pulled over, mad as hell. I told a reporter that they were doing the town a disservice by reporting something that wasn’t true. The reporter interviewed me on the spot and that particular narrative ended. Outof- town media people seemed to lose interest after that.
Early in Wimberley’s recovery, the Visitor’s Center and chamber of- fice became a hub for information, as a meeting location, and for people dropping off donations. Team Ribicon, the volunteer organization of Vietnam Veterans who help with disasters, for example, used us as a meeting location.
I had been contacting major media outlets such as Texas Monthly, the Houston Chronicle, the New York Times, the Washington Post and newspapers in Dallas, as well as everyone else, with the message that our businesses were intact.
A reporter from USA Today found our office and asked if she could sit somewhere and write her story. I asked her for a favor. ‘Would you let your readers know that our restaurants and shops are still open?’ She did, and her story wound up on the cover of USA Today.
The large parking area to the side of us allowed semi trailer trucks to pull in and supply food to Crisis Bread Basket, who is located behind us. Volunteers from a Methodist Church from Michigan, who were part of a nationwide effort, parked their RVs there too. Two vans, I remember, filled with supplies and donations, arrived from Del Rio and unloaded next to us.
As the recovery progressed, we made sure to let people know that a few construction scammers were trying to fleece homeowners trying to rebuild. We warned everyone to check with the city, the city council, the newspaper and the chamber to make sure they were legitimate.
When it came time for the chamber to begin planning the Fourth of July parade, there was a suggestion that perhaps we should cancel it, considering that recovery was still very much underway. But I didn’t want that and the chamber board agreed. And you know, that parade was something else. It was really something else. The Wimberley Strong flags were flying everywhere.”
Dee Rambeau, host of The Empowered Community radio program on KWVH radio
On May 9, 2025, Dee Rambeau conducted an interview during his program with Wimberley first responders who were there when the community needed them most. They describe the awful early moments of the disaster.
Behind the microphones were Ken Strange, Director of Wimberley Emergency Medical Services since 2004; Cathy Montgomery, Operations Director at Wimberley EMS; Carroll Czichos, Chief of Wimberley Fire and Rescue since 1980 and Hays County Fire Marshal Investigator since 1994; and Christopher Robbins, Assistant Fire Chief of Wimberley Fire and Rescue. Here are excerpts from that program, transcribed and presented here by permission. Search the KWVH archives to listen to the entire program.
Ken Strange, Director of Wimberley Emergency Medical Services
“I remember driving out Ranch to Market Road 2325 to check that the low water banners were out. There was a lull and then, chaos. . .”
“I was right there when the Fischer Store bridge went out. When it washed out, it created the floodwaters that impacted Wimberley.”
Cathy Montgomery, Operations Director at Wimberley EMS “I received a text from a friend who used to work at the Wimberley EMS. There was water over the 281 bridge. I texted our crews but couldn’t wrap my mind around that. I went to the station and began receiving SOS signals. First responders were showing up. If you don’t get here early, Wimberley becomes an island. It had been a wet Spring and the ground was saturated.”
Chief Carroll Czichos
“It was important how things got done. On Saturday I got a call from a rancher upstream in Blanco who reports to me when weather conditions warrant a call. I knew him and his property well and I asked him how high the water was on the tree in his yard that he used as a gauge. He told me the tree had washed away. By 11 p.m. first responders were already rescuing people out of second story windows. Then I knew what we were in for. When it floods in Blanco, it takes 6.5 hours to flood in Wimberley. There were tornadoes in the area and the major part of the storm that dumped 15 inches on Wimberley, was 10 to 15 miles above us.”
Cathy Montgomery
“When the Fischer Store bridge went out, it was surreal.”
Chris Robbins
“I was in San Antonio off of 1604 riding in a fire truck when I got the call. It took me four hours to get here. By the time I arrived, there were already more than 100 addresses on the white board in the office and they were still getting rigs and sending out rescue teams. I worked nine days straight and slept at the station.”
Ken Strange
“We’re a visitor-centric community during the holidays. What complicated rescues was that visitors staying in an airbnb or rental didn’t know what their address was.”
Chief Czichos
“Those of us who have been around longer have been through many floods, but no one could comprehend the magnitude of this one.”
Cypress Creek Church, Rob Campbell, founder and pastor until 2020
“It was an experience I’ll never forget and don’t want to experience again.
City Manager Don Ferguson approached me the night of the flood and asked me to open the church to shelter people and to help coordinate relief efforts. We housed people for about two or three nights, and coordinated the efforts of eight, faith-based organizations who arrived to help. We converted our Children’s House into a Relief Center, providing help on the south side of the Blanco River, while the Wimberley High School provided help on the North side.
Susan Myers and my wife Susan Campbell deserve tremendous credit for their leadership during that time. They managed all of the items that poured in, distributed them to people in need, and coordinated volunteers. Theirs was not an 8 a.m to 5 p.m. effort, by any means.
I became the point person for the onslaught of calls we received and dispensed the half million dollars in funds that came from all over.
Our motto was ‘See a need. Meet a need. Pray with all.’
The outpouring of help was amazing. One individual came from South Texas with a flatbed full of essential tools and supplies, like wheelbarrows. Another man, a rancher drove up to the church one evening with a deep freezer full of beef.
It was a privilege to be able to help.”
Randy Uselton, former owner of the Cypress Creek Cafe
“On Saturday evening, as heavy rainfall soaked Wimberley and the concerns about flooding began to get serious, the band playing in the cafe was about three or four songs into their set when I sent them home. I didn’t want them to be trapped in town if things got bad.
My wife, Trish, was at home and couldn’t get to the cafe. A Hays County Sheriff’s Department officer came to the restaurant and asked me if the cafe would act as a Refuge Point for people who needed to wait out the storm.
We were well located because of our spot on the Wimberley Square. With water rising and threatening both the Ranch Road 12 bridge and the Cypress Creek bridge, the Square became an island, trapped between the two. Downtown area evacuees began arriving, eventually numbering somewhere between 75 and 125, including my nine employees, who were mostly college students. We stayed open for 36 hours straight until the water over the Cypress Creek bridge subsided and people were able to cross. The electricity was out so we brought all the sterno cans we had and lit them so there would be light in the restaurant. From battery powered speakers, I played music from the huge songlist on my phone. We wanted to keep the mood light and to distract people, especially with children, from worrying about what was happening outside. We had plenty of food and, because our stoves were powered by propane, we could serve meals.
Deputies kept me informed throughout the night. At two or three a.m., I drove down to the Blanco bridge with a deputy and was shocked at what I saw.
Later I walked across the Square and Ranch Road 12 to Inoz restaurant and saw that the deck had been lifted by the water and was floating, partially underwater. I called Tom Keyser, who owned it then, and asked if he needed to use one of our freezers. Eventually, the water inside Inoz became waist deep.
On Sunday, the electricity came back on. By then, I was running on pure adrenaline. Our staff had come through the night well. After that, a lot of locals made us their meeting place and I began cleaning out flooded homes, like everyone else.”
Christy Dagenhart and Ace Hardware
“It’s still very hard for me to drive down Flite Acres, and River Road is hard to look at.
Our home in Mountain Crest was not affected by the flood and we were not aware of what was happening. On Saturday, my husband Tad had taken six, seventh-grade boys to the movies. I woke up on Sunday at 5 a.m. with 150 texts on my phone and about 50 missed calls. We woke everyone up and we loaded up and went to the store thinking that people might need some supplies. We had no idea of the enormity of the damage.
We opened the store at 6:30 a.m. that Sunday morning even though we don’t usually open until 9:30 a.m. Within moments of opening, a disheveled man came in wearing his pajamas – shorts, a T-shirt, no shoes. He was in tears and just wandering around trying to find stuff for his family and pets. Friends of ours came in who own Rio Bonito Resort and they told us what had happened there. They were in their pajamas, and barefooted too. They came to buy shoes for the family. That was when we knew it was bad. And that was probably around 6:45 to 7 a.m.
We had just purchased the property in front of our store which allowed us to accommodate the large trucks that would come with the relief effort and make it possible to do what we did during the aftermath of the flood. The fire that Ace sustained two years earlier provided us the opportunity to do so.
In the weeks that followed, I would get there at 6:30 a.m. to organize the lists of the volunteers that came forward. A wonderful woman, Ruth Mintz, always got there before me. She became the “manager of food processes.” I had to make her go home at night. In the early days our sons, aged 11 and 12 ran the cash registers. We ended up serving 3,000 meals a day for the first three weeks afterwards.
I had a difficult time returning to normalcy. I wanted to keep helping people and kids. I struggled with feelings of guilt if we weren’t open. I didn’t want to abandon anyone.
After the flood, I met a different part of the community that I hadn’t known before and today I’m very close with many of them.”
(Editors note: for a full account of Ace’s amazing service to the community, read her compelling account in the book “Wimberley: Epic Flood Tests a Small Town’s Strength.”)
Madonna Kimball, My Neighbors Keeper
“MyNK knew they had to do something to help victims of the flood, but were very limited on funds. After putting the word out, they received checks locally and from all over the country. $450,000 in immediate funding was given to a large number of survivors who had lost their homes and possessions.
In addition to helping with computer input, delivering meals and supplies, mucking out homes, MyNK formed an advisory committee to review the many applications they received for funding and the checks that were written and hand delivered to many survivors. Funding from MyNK helped victims secure immediate needs like food, lost prescriptions, personal care items and lodging, while they waited for insurance or FEMA funding.”
Gary Zupancic, Wimberley View Reporter
“The memories are always going to stay with me.
May 24, the night of the flood, was my wife’s birthday. Friends had hired an Elvis impersonator because my wife is a big fan. The performer came from San Antonio so did not encounter any problems getting to our home in Heritage Hill.
The next morning, Sunday, May 25, at about 7 a.m. I left our house and headed out to Brookshire Brothers with the intention of buying steaks, but I couldn’t get across the RR12 bridge. It was surreal, the water was the highest I’d ever seen. I returned home.
Later, my wife and I tuned into the NBC news and the segment was about the Wimberley flood. Just moments before, we’d heard helicopters fly over our house. The reporters were out at 7A Ranch covering the devastation there.
On Monday, Dalton Sweat and I coordinated our coverage of the aftermath. Because the RR12 bridge was not yet passable, I covered the South side of town where I lived, and Dalton covered the North side of town.
I spent hours at Cypress Creek Church on Stillwater where they had taken in displaced people and coordinated relief efforts from a number of agencies. Mercy Chefs had set up there and were providing meals to anyone who needed one. Across the river, Ace Hardware had become the go-to place, serving hot dogs in the first few days, and later coordinating meals, organizing volunteers and helping people cope with the clean up and recovery.
There was misery everywhere. It was eye opening, unlike anything you could imagine. But everyone pitched in, in every way imaginable. The non-affected residents were helping those who were.
Covering the effects of the flood did not affect me until much later. While my wife and I had not sustained damage at all, I heard many stories of the trauma that persisted. Longtime residents told me from time to time that when the clouds got heavy, they’d feel anxiety. Everyone who lived through it was affected in one way or another.”
Jesse Stratton, Wimberley Musician
In the book, “Wimberley: Epic Flood Tests a Small Town’s Strength,” Jesse recounted his terrifying experience of coming within a few feet of plunging his car into the Blanco River at the washed out Fischer School bridge. Ten years later he talks about his near call with death.
“I still tell that story at my performances and I frequently relive that moment. It is still the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. I wrote about that close call in the song, Hill Country Rain, which I perform often. I don’t feel like ten years have passed since that night. Every time I cross the Fischer School bridge I think of it. The memory is still very fresh in my mind. But it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the beauty of the area and it has left me with a lasting respect for the power of nature. Wimberley is still a wonderful place to live. While my home wasn’t physically affected, I knew a lot of people whose homes were.
I’m really happy and honored to be performing at the Wimberley Strong Concert this weekend. It’s not often that I get to perform with a legendary singer- songwriter like Gary P. Nunn. While I feel excited about the concert, I also feel a bit somber about the people who lost their lives and their homes. The concert is a great opportunity for the community to come together, share their memories and enjoy a great afternoon of music.”
Kristina Sandifer, My Neighbor’s Keeper Board Member
I grew up in the Midwest and our biggest worry was the tornadoes. I was terribly frightened by them as a child. We had those sirens that went off when one was near and one when the coast was clear. We walked to school every day and went home for lunch before going back for the afternoon. I remember spending an entire lunch hour in our basement behind the large appliances while my big brother, who was only 12 himself, sang songs to keep us calm. He and my other brother returned to school at the “all clear.” But not me. I wasn’t stepping out in that dangerous world.
Since the flood of 2015 in Wimberley, I’ve seen many people who still have great fear when we have thunderstorms and a lot of rain. They are people of all ages and vocations, not just children and retirees.
I was fortunate not to lose my home, trees or property. But I saw those who did and my heart broke. I’ve often gone to Google Earth to look at pictures of the area from years back. I see those trees along the Blanco River and remember their beauty. In more recent Google Earth pictures I see the houses along River Road that were demolished, torn from their foundations and those that are only a slab. It brings me back to those early days of fear, uncertainty, caution and shock. What was really unreal to me after the flood, was how people in nearby towns were grocery shopping, going to work, to the dentist and all the other activities of a normal life when we, in Wimberley, were suffering. It was an eye-opener because I thought everyone was adversely affected, even our neighbors in the towns nearby.
It was another shock to realize that, for the long term recovery, we were on our own. And we were on our own, so what did we do? We jumped in and did what we could. We got in touch with county and state officials to help devise a plan for a better early warning flood system and we got it. We pulled together every piece of clothing in every size, gathered essentials for personal care from adults to newborns, we donated packaged foods and baby formula, we brought in whatever we could until there was too much for the two collection areas on either side of the river and were told “enough!” as they stacked to the ceilings. We signed up to help deliver goods, as I did, to homes and to help sort through the debris after the waters subsided. We raised money to give to those affected by the flood. My Neighbor’s Keeper, for one, gave out approximately $400,000 to provide immediate help for flood victims. Barnabas Connection provided information and volunteers to help in all areas. A Facebook page was created to provide credible updates and information to the public. This town came together for ourselves and, 10 years later, we are thriving.
Tourists returned and can be seen lining the streets every weekend. New businesses have sprung up all around town, a new school was built, new subdivisions have come in and we are prospering again.
We haven’t forgotten, but we have moved on, better prepared and knowing that we, as a community, will come together, if need be, again just as we have in the past. We said in 2015, Wimberley Is Alive!
