By Moses Leos III

Five minutes was all it took Friday for Buda resident Karen Hibpshman’s life to change once again. 

Hibpschman, who was a victim of the 2013 Halloween Flood, watched as standing water in her front yard started to make its way into her home along Goforth Road in Buda during that time frame. Her residence was one of many that were affected by Friday’s storm event that dropped 18 inches of rain in the city.

But for Hibpschman, and many of her neighbors, issues pertaining to drainage behind their homes continue. It was something that was on the forefront of her mind when floodwater rose into her home. 

“Honestly, the thought was, ‘here we go again,’” Hibpschman said. “The drainage issues have not been resolved. Now we all want answers.” 

For Hibpschman, things began to go south at around 8 a.m. Friday. 

While watching the news, Hibpschman noticed they had standing water in their yard “like we always do.” 

“It was in the yard and not in the driveway. We thought it was good,” she said. 

But the situation rapidly changed. Within five minutes, she said the water was “extremely high.” 

She then moved her car from the driveway to the opposite side of the street. She said her family attempted to get as much of their belongings out of their home. 

But ultimately, the water made its way into her home. Roughly a foot of water inundated the house, with 1 1/2 feet of water in the garage. 

Hibpschman said roughly 3 1/2 feet of water flooded her backyard. 

As the water flooded her home, Hibpshman said she “made calls to make sure we had people come in to start tearing out the drywall.” From there, her family rode out the storm. 

Ultimately, she and her family lost about 75 percent of their belongings. 

But for Hibpshman, the issue pertains to a subdivision of duplexes that were built behind her home. According to Hibpshman, the subdivision, which is built higher than homes on Goforth, drains water into a detention pond that she claims can’t handle rainwater, which then floods into the neighborhood. 

She now questions why the subdivison was built higher than homes on Goforth. 

“Why was that approved for it to be built higher than we are to where it directs water back to us?” she said. 

Residents Peggy Mignery and Ron Guyer also held concerns regarding drainage. Guyer said the issue stems from the detention pond behind their homes. Guyer said the pond is supposed to have an automatic pump that “sucks out water from the retaining pond” along with a siren that flashes when it almost reaches flood level. 

Guyer said the lights and pump didn’t work on the day of the flood. 

“Everything overflows. When it does, we get hit from every angle,” Mignery said. 

Friday’s flood, however, was déja vu for Mignery and her family, which were also victims of the 2013 Flood. 

She said they knew it was going to flood as the ditches behind their home filled with water at a rapid pace. 

“Down in this area here, if a crow spits really good, it’s going to flood,” she said. “We kept watching it come up.” 

But by 8 a.m., Mignery realized the sitaution was starting to become more serious. She and her family began to move things out of their home, and move kids to safety. They then threw down towels in an attempt to soak up water. 

“After a while, we said, ‘to hell with it,’ and we let the water come in,” she said. 

By 10 a.m., Guyer said the neighborhood had 2 1/2 feet of water and that it looked like a “big river.” 

Mignery said her family lost just about everything. Only metal items, such a frame for a bunk bed, was spared. 

For Mignery and her family, rebuilding their home is now the next step. They hope drainage issues can be rectified to prevent it from happening again. 

“Hopefully there won’t be a next time,” one family member said.