Floodwaters tore through the Zamora family’s Kerr County home early Thursday morning, forcing a frantic escape and leaving behind extensive damage and most of what they owned. Now, a disabled Navy veteran is being hailed as a hero after getting his family and a neighbor to safety during last week’s flooding.
Gilbert Zamora said he first realized something was wrong when he heard the rain and checked a security camera facing a neighbor’s house. “I just kept hearing the rain, and I was like, ‘That sounds too hard for too long,’” he said. He noticed his neighbor outside with a flashlight and then saw a startling sign the water was rising fast: “In passing, like I was kind of putting my phone down, I saw my son’s power wheels floating across the yard.”
Zamora said he stepped outside without shoes to check on the neighbor. “I stepped off this porch, and it was already like almost up to my knees,” he said.
Inside, his wife, Chantal Zamora, said water began pouring in through a doggie door. “We had a doggie door, so water started pouring in through there,” she said.
As the creek behind their home rapidly rose, the family had to decide whether to go upstairs or try to leave. Chantal Zamora said she relied on her husband’s judgment. “Dad is the captain, so whatever he says goes,” she said.
Gilbert Zamora said he looked out and saw what he described as a dangerous surge of water. “In between the window and the shop was just a raging river. That’s the best way I can explain,” he said.
He said he gathered his grandfather from upstairs, along with his mother, his wife and their two boys, and loaded them into the family SUV to get to higher ground. As they tried to leave, he said water and debris made it difficult to get out of the garage.
After getting his family to safety, Zamora returned and stopped to help his neighbor’s father-in-law. He ran barefoot to reach him, breaking his toe along the way. Describing what he saw, Zamora said, “He’s just clinging on to the side of the house. The first thing I thought was like just looks like something off of the news.”
Chantal Zamora said her husband’s focus on getting their family safe helped him step in where he could. “I think he just has a big, big heart, and he helps wherever he can, and he knew that his family was safe. I think that kind of allowed him to help a little bit where he was needed,” she said.
The family said the damage and emotional toll have been overwhelming, with clothes and toys scattered and much of what they worked for gone. Zamora said their 5-year-old has struggled to process what happened. “He’s kind of made a couple statements like the flood literally tried to kill us. That kind of breaks my heart,” Zamora said.
In addition to damage to the home, the Zamoras lost two vehicles, including his grandfather’s prized 1981 Chevy pickup.
Despite the losses, Zamora said the family is grateful everyone survived. “We are okay and our family’s okay, but this is still a sucky situation,” he said.
Chantal Zamora said the family is trying to move forward step by step. “This is so new and unprecedented to us, we’re just kind of taking it day by day, trying to figure out how do we salvage as much as possible,” she said.
Gilbert Zamora said they immediately began removing water and damaged materials, with help from friends and a local construction company. The family said the road ahead will be long, and they are taking it one day at a time.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.