COMFORT, Texas – Officials in Kendall County are urging residents to stay vigilant as emergency crews continue monitoring flooding conditions.
They’re asking people to avoid flooded roads, bridges, creeks and low-water crossings as another rise on the Guadalupe River forced families in Comfort to make quick decisions.
Tamra Ward traveled from Oklahoma to visit family at Comfort RV Resort, never expecting she would soon be told to evacuate.
“It’s scary and stressful and you just kind of lost.”
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Ward said she, her sister, their children, six cats and one dog had only minutes to gather important belongings after emergency responders returned with a mandatory evacuation order.
“They came back by and said, ‘Okay, we’re doing a mandatory one because the river rose like four feet in 30 minutes.'”
The family went to Comfort High School, which had been set up as an evacuation shelter, where they were provided a place to stay, food and pet supplies.
County officials said advance planning helped them prepare before the worst flooding arrived.
“We had a coordination meeting in preparation for what could happen, what may happen, with guidance from the National Weather Service.”
Officials said warning sirens were manually activated as water levels rapidly increased. They also said this flood brought even more water than the devastating July 4 flooding last year.
“The Cypress is what the key watch was as far as the sirens.”
Another official said the Guadalupe River reached roughly 200,000 cubic feet per second Thursday morning, significantly higher than the peak flow recorded during last year’s flooding.
“This morning there was about 200,000 cubic feet per second of water coming through the Guadalupe, which was significantly higher than last year.”
Kendall County officials said they’re waiting for floodwaters to recede before they can fully assess the extent of damage to homes, roads and other infrastructure.