If you live in Texas then you are aware of the amount of rain we have received. On Saturday my hometown, Blanco, fell victim to the worst flooding we have seen in over 50 years. They are calling it the Historic Blanco River Food of 2015.
You can click
here and see all the damage it has done. The river rose to over 40 feet in a matter of hours Saturday evening and what is left is heartbreaking. The National Guard was called in to help and the Red Cross is there as well.
Thankfully, everyone in my town is physically okay. Homes are gone, bridges are broken, and personal items are lost, but everyone is coming together to help one another out. It saddens me to have to watch it from far away, but the constant updates from family and Facebook have had me glued to the computer all weekend.
My Dad is traveling for work, so he was out of town and my brother was at his apartment in San Marcos when all of this was happening. My brother started texting me Saturday night about how bad the flooding was. I hadn't had much of a clue until then...and the pictures were shocking. My brother ended up having to evacuate his apartment at 2:00am due to flash flooding. (picture below of his apartment)
My mom was stranded at our house Saturday night with no power which had me worrying. My aunt, uncle, and cousin (and her family) live right down the hill from us, but they, except for my uncle, were stranded in Austin. Everyone was out of power, but my mom and uncle managed to make mac and cheese and guacamole. They were in good spirits, but I think everyone was a little shook up when the sun came up and they were able to see the damage that was done.
My aunt, cousin, and the rest of the family were able to make it home from Austin Sunday morning, but the power didn't come on until Monday night. Baths in the pool and lots of stove-cooked meals were what had to be done.
I just talked to my Mom and she was in good spirits, but exhausted. They all haven't slept in days because of the a/c not being on and the storms being so loud. I don't think the damage has set in for anyone yet and it is going to take a long time to rebuild our little town. Routes that people have traveled for decades are now going to be shut down for months to rebuild. Homes that generations of families have lived in are now washed away. A park and dam I used to jump off of daily every summer is torn to shreds. It is so, so sad.
As we speak it is still raining there and they are worrying that the flash floods could happen again. They are predicted to have rain all week and that makes it difficult for the power crews to get power restored to the almost 3,000 people without electricity.
I ask that your thoughts and prayers be with my hometown, Blanco, and the surrounding towns. There are some people who are missing and I know their families could use our prayers.
Below are pictures I grabbed from Facebook.
The bridge seen below is the bridge my family, as well as hundreds of others, use to get into town everyday. The only other way around takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
The water got up was passed that grey house. That house is at an RV park and all the campers got washed away.
This camper is about 150 yards from where the river is supposed to be.
Below is another low water crossing that we have to use to get to my house. The house on the other side over there to the left was completely damaged.
This tuck is about 100 yards from the river bank.
This is an aerial shot of the debris left on a bridge in Wimberley.
This is a picture of my brother's apartment complex in San Marcos. Luckily he lives on a higher floor and was able to get out before all of the water rushed through.
This is the patio of a restaurant in our town. The river is right on the other side of those bushes in the background. There is a the park road that goes between that tree and the patio.
And this is how it looked Saturday...
That yellowish wall in the far left of the picture is where the patio to the restaurant is.
This is a shot on the bridge crossing over the river. The restaurant and cottages are to the right.
So, as you can see, there will be a lot of cleanup, but I know God doesn't put anyone through anything they can't handle.
If you would, just please keep them in your prayers and, although we are so gracious for all this rain, please pray that maybe it would stop for a couple days.
Thank you!
