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    PHOTO BY DALTON SWEAT/WIMBERLEY VIEW River Road went under water during the most recent flood event.

River rises from minor flood event

With the ground saturated from days of rain, it doesn’t take much to cause a flood. On May 9, Wimberley received between 1.72 inches and 2.4 inches of rain. Cypress Creek quickly leapt out of its banks, but did not reach anywhere near the heights necessary to endanger homes.

The story was similar for the Blanco River. Rainfall totals in Blanco ranged from 1.48 inches to as high as 2.68 inches on May 9. Around two inches of rainfall is a relatively standard total occurring a couple of times every year. But, the saturated ground meant that all the rainfall flowed downstream instead of soaking into the ground. The Blanco River rose to almost 15 feet in height as water rushed from Blanco. Flood stage on the Blanco River starts at 13 feet. This flooding was considered minor by the National Weather Service.

All low water crossings in town were closed, with some in the area, such as FM 150’s Double Crossings, receiving damage. River Road was aptly named on Wednesday last week as the road truly did become a river. However, homes in Wimberley are all above the 20-foot mark, with most much higher in the 25 to 30-foot range.

As long as people were smart and kept from crossing low water crossings, the flood was merely a blip on the radar in Wimberley. Locals flocked to the riverside to watch the water as large debris was swept downstream. The Wimberley Fire Department took the opportunity to mentally train for potentially dangerous situations.

“We are training, seeing what is happening, seeing where our potential hazards are,” Assistant Fire Chief Matt Van Ostrand said with about a dozen Wimberley firefighters by his side near 7A Ranch. “We are figuring out what we would do if we had someone in the water. Looking at the 1492 bridge, the way the water is boiled up downstream of the bridge, the only way we would be able to get to somebody in the middle of it is with a powered Zodiac (boat). We have some pretty good operators that would be able to put in upstream, make it to get vehicle, catch them and get out. But it would be a highrisk operation because this water can get pretty nasty pretty quick.“

No swift water rescues were needed during the flooding on May 9 in Wimberley. However, there was one swift water rescue on the night of May 3 during the first round of minor flooding. A car was trapped on the low water crossing on Jacob’s Well Road with Wimberley Fire and Rescue responding to help get them out.

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054