Blanco River flooding forces evacuations in Hays Co.

KXAN – by Calily Bien

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — As the Blanco River in Wimberley and San Marcos hit record flood levels Saturday night and Sunday morning, rescue crews called for evacuations in several neighborhoods across the area.

Hays County officials reported 200-300 people in Wimberley shelters by mid-morning, including several rescued from rooftops of homes and cars. The City of San Marcos activated school buses to move residents without transportation to other shelters.

The flood warning continues until late Monday night, or until the warning is cancelled by the NWS. As of 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the stage was 32.4 ft., flood stage is 13 ft. The river level will rise to crest around 41.5 feet by early Sunday morning. The river level will fall below flood stage Monday evening.

At 31 ft., many homes downstream in the lower Blanco and San Marcos River flood plains should flood. According to the National Weather Service, this level will reach lower rural homes and can trap and drown hundreds of livestock.

NWS says flood waters are moving down the San Marcos River from San Marcos to Luling and the flood crest is expected to reach Luling by Monday morning.

It is expected that a full-scale search and rescue mission will begin when the sun comes up. Hundreds of citizens from the Wimberley and San Marcos area have been rescued and/or evacuated from their homes or vehicles. We urge everyone to recognize this continued threat and to take safety measures.

As of 5 a.m., emergency officials say an estimated 350 homes are underwater.

In 2001, the Blanco River crested at 28.9 ft.

If you need a shelter, emergency officials have opened the following sites:

• Deer Creek Nursing Home, Wimberley High School and Cypress Creek Church in Wimberley
• San Marcos Activity Center (currently at capacity)
• Hernandez Elementary School at 333 Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos.

The Red Cross also has several other shelters located throughout Central Texas.

http://kxan.com/2015/05/24/blanco-river-expected-to-flood-homes-in-hays-county/