WIMBERLEY — Ten years after the Memorial Day flood of 2015, community members recount the catastrophic event and its aftermath.
Rocky Edwards, a resident of Wimberley since 1983, built his house on stilts, similar to the look of one that could be found on a beach, about seven feet above ground, which would ultimately find more than three feet of water underneath amid the large, devastating flood.
He recalled going down the road toward the Blanco River with a neighbor, who warned him of the flood around midnight, but by then, they were trapped; the normal routes of escape were seven to eight feet underwater. He still remembers the sounds of debris crashing into houses, propane valves hissing and trees snapping, along with the visual of two houses washing away. He also lost seven “decent, wonderful neighbors” that day.
Philip McBride’s family had just found their perfect house when they were moving to Wimberley from Rockport. The house was “perfect, right on the river with water that was deeper than most areas” and they closed on it May 15, 2015 — nearly 10 days before the flood would make its appearance in the town. The night of the flood, the family hadn’t fully moved in, but had just bought furniture and were spending the holiday weekend in the new home, “kind of camping out.”
Then, around midnight, McBride was out in the yard with his neighbor and there was conversation of leaving because the water level was rising. By the time they got to the front door, McBride said the water was ankle deep and the driveway was impassable. They had to drive over the neighbor’s yard and up the hill to escape the water. When they returned home the next day, there were water stains in the house up the wall, about five feet, and mud on the floors; the interior was a total loss. All of the items stored in the garage were ruined, including McBride’s 3,000-book library. It took about a year to get back into the house.
McBride and Edwards are just two of the countless residents who were impacted by the flooding event that changed the Wimberley community forever after the Blanco River swelled to a historic level of 43.2 feet early Sunday, May 24, as previously reported by the News-Dispatch. The flood was caused by the up to 11 inches of rain that fell Saturday, May 23, in neighboring Blanco County. The rain created flooding of the Blanco River, which slammed into Wimberley, the report stated, and over a span of three hours, from 10 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, the Blanco River in Wimberley rose from 8.98 feet to 40.21 feet, eventually rising to an estimated 43. 2 feet.
More than 1,000 people made their way to shelters at the flood’s peak and many were forced to climb to the roofs of their homes or into trees to escape the water, according to a previous report by the News-Dispatch. Across the affected areas, 13 lives were lost, hundreds of families were displaced and 350-400 homes were destroyed, according to Wimberley Parks and Recreation.
Response efforts
The day was a nonstop response effort, said Christopher Robbins, assistant fire chief at Wimberley Fire Rescue, who was a 17-year-old high school junior and volunteer firefighter during the 2015 flood, which occurred just one week before final exams and the start of summer vacation. That night, he was riding along on a fire engine with a mentor on the northeast side of San Antonio; while he was aware that severe weather was developing, Robbins said he had no idea of the “scale of destruction that was unfolding back home in Wimberley.”
“Around 5 a.m., I left San Antonio and drove directly back to Wimberley. What I saw upon arrival was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. The town I had grown up in was devastated — homes swept away, debris tangled in trees, roads destroyed and families displaced,” shared Robbins.
The assistant fire chief said that whether he was searching for missing persons, checking homes in areas where the water had receded or helping manage the increase in emergency calls, there was constant work to be done. He shared that he remembers hearing that more than 80 water rescue incidents were paged out within the first hour of the event, which, according to him, is an impossible number for any one department to handle and one that taxed the county’s emergency resources to their absolute limit.
However, along with Robbins were other first responders whose efforts were “nothing short of heroic,” as many of them had lost property themselves or were worried about their loved ones, yet they stayed to answer every single call that came in.
“The sheer volume of emergency incidents that night — especially the dozens of water rescues — pushed departments beyond their limits, but the dedication never wavered. Mutual aid agencies from across the region responded selflessly and coordination between fire, EMS, law enforcement and volunteer groups was remarkable. It was a defining moment not only for those of us in public safety, but for the entire community,” Robbins said. “It showed what is possible when people come together with purpose, compassion and a willingness to serve others before themselves.”
Alongside the first responders, several community members and business owners stepped up in their own way, including those at Hays City Store and Ace Hardware.
“It was a reminder that, even in the darkest times, the human spirit has an incredible capacity for kindness and solidarity,” Robbins said.
For owners Tamra and Travis Tindol, they used Hays City Store — which just became a full-scale restaurant a few months before the flood — as a safe space or centralized location for people to come and receive whatever they needed.
“You could look around the restaurant and see who just went through hell. They had a 1,000-yard stare,” Travis explained. “All we did was just kind of comfort them. Some wanted to talk, some didn’t … It was rough because we couldn’t do anything. I mean, at least we could provide a hot meal and cold drink.”
“Then, the news of the family and their friends that were swept away came out that day. There was a lot of discussion and concern for people who were still on their roofs or in their homes and needing to be rescued. It happened for two days, three days, while water receded and then, search parties developed,” Tamra said. “We were kind of a hub for people meeting, so during a lot of these parties, we were the meeting place at Hays City Store.”
Christy Degenhart, owner of Ace Hardware in Wimberley, shared that she was not personally affected; however, her father-in-law, who lived on the river lost his home, and her parents, who lived on the creek, lost their home later that year during another flood that took place in the fall of 2015.
The store had burned down two years prior and they had gone through that loss as a family, Degenhart said, so they were familiar with loss, which was a big catalyst for them wanting to help the community. She said that they did not find out about the destruction of the flood until Sunday morning, when they woke up at 5:30 a.m. to approximately 150 missed phone calls and texts — she and her husband opened Ace early that day, knowing that people were going to need supplies, and the help continued from there.
“[The community] really banded together all over the place. They were separated in different sections because of where you could get access and couldn't get access. So, on our side of the creek, we set up a fence in the parking lot of Ace and started serving food on day one. By the end of the first week, we were serving 3,000 meals a day out of the store parking lot from our side of the creek, delivering meals and had volunteers coming in to eat,” she explained. “On day one, when we set up and started making food, contractors that are regular customers were coming to the parking lot saying, ‘I've got a Bobcat, I've got chainsaws. What can I do to help? What do you know?’ And that was when we started connecting volunteers with homeowners and it just sort of took off from there.”
Looking ahead
It’s the 10-year anniversary since the town has had to rebuild from the 2015 Memorial Day flood, but the community will never forget that day.
“Houses have been rebuilt and the river is still a beautiful place and the creek is still a beautiful place … The community has grown. We're all still, I think, fairly united and will always come to support one another,” Degenhart said. “We're one of the most generous communities I've ever known in coming together and supporting one another when there's a need.”
For Tamra, despite the various issues that people are facing in the current climate — political, environmental and more — a strong community will look past those when it’s necessary and time to come together to take care of their fellow neighbor. Travis agreed, stating that at the end of the day, Wimberley is a community that has to look out for each other.
Robbins explained that the 2015 Memorial Day flood taught him lessons that have stayed with him ever since, not only as a firefighter, but also as a person and a leader.
“When people are experiencing the worst day of their lives, they’re not looking for perfection, but they are relying on us to bring calm to chaos, strength to weakness and hope to tragedy. They didn’t ask for disaster, heartbreak, or loss — but we asked to be there. We raised our hands and swore an oath to serve and that means showing up with everything we have, every time,” he said.
Now, in honor of the flood’s 10-year anniversary, the community will gather at Blue Hole Regional Park from 1-6 p.m. Saturday, May 24, for the Wimberley Strong Memorial Concert. The event is geared to honor those who were affected by the flood, celebrate how far the community has come and support the first responders who serve the area.
“We came up on this 10-year anniversary. The prevailing mindset of those of us that remember it, we just have to honor both the lives lost and then, the heroes that helped in all forms — our first responder heroes, then also just everyday people that gave up their time,” said Woods.
While the concert will feature Texas artist Gary P. Nunn and Jesse Stratton Band, the event will also serve as a fundraiser for first responders, whose efforts during and after the flood helped save many lives. Proceeds from the sales of tickets — which are $50 for general admission — and sponsorships will go directly to the emergency personnel.
Learn more at www.wimberleyparksandrec.com/wimberleystrong.
