Menard Flood Recovery: “From Bad to Worse”

MENARD, TX – Folks down in Harris Hollow, and in many spots along the San Saba river in Menard County, they just can’t seem to catch a break. While crews work to clean up from the devastating floods of July, and many residents are still going through the muck, gut, and repair of their homes, another large rain has beset the Hill Country town. 

It’s rained 35 inches in Menard County this year, about 13 inches above the yearly average, and in a few locations, that last 13 inches arrived yesterday. 

After forecasts warned of possible flash floods Wednesday, some residents say they began to feel that familiar anxiety they developed from the July floods.

The county ordered evacuations of low-lying areas. Ahead of the flooding, Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency services to prepare for response, though the damages in Menard are mostly affecting places already damaged from floods in July. 

The San Saba River has risen above its banks a historic third time this year in Menard, but the biggest problem according to locals would be Harris Hollow. 

Recipe for Flash Floods

All over West Texas, you can find the geographic configurations that lead to significant flash floods.

Dry, shallow creeks turn into deadly conveyances for water after excessive rainfall. Harris Hollow runs from the hills overlooking Menard, before cutting across U.S. Highway 83 and entering the neighborhoods. 

Talking to locals, many felt the need to discuss what happened in July. With Thursday’s event now quite mild in comparison. 

Michael Hidalgo lives off Second Street, where his house is raised up about 3 feet above the high-water mark of yesterday.

“The water was running up to here yesterday,” he says gesturing to the hubcap of a nearby truck which appears just above the curb. “And right there, that’s where that meteorologist was filming yesterday, he actually got this truck in the shot here.”

Long Term Effects of the Floods

Hidalgo points to his Chevy truck parked alongside the other, with its transmission flooded. He said it’s just been sitting there since July.

Hidalgo says he got a little FEMA assistance after that, but not much.

But the flood carried away the contents of his backyard and caused his house to shift. It’s a common problem in town.

Everyone we spoke to in Menard said their houses have shifted or settled some since July, often causing cracks in walls and foundations, and problems with plumbing systems. 

Many others nearby, whose properties were in the flood stream, were asked about their situations, but they were busy cleaning up. 

There are not too many basements in Menard County, but the courthouse has one of them. Walking in, the lower floor staircase leads to a few puddles, down to the concrete floor where a few tiny wet spots remain, and wet/dry vacuums sit.

The smell of water damage permeates the first floor. Outside, you can see several channels where the water was clearly pooling, before running inside from the days and months before. 

“I was watching from my mother’s house, across the river” says Kristen Willis, who works at the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance office just up the road from Harris Hollow.

She says the rain was up the axles of the 18-wheelers plowing ahead towards Fredericksburg. Fortunately, her house and her mother’s house were out of the way when the river formed up the road from the Cleo intersection, which runs clear through into town and then diverts into the rest of the hollow moving east toward Scalp Creek.  

Willis cites this as the fifth major rain event of the year; this time the river rose to 13 feet, it was 18 feet in July. 

“After what happened in July, I mean…things just went from bad to worse,” Willis says. Most of the damage after the floods has not been resolved in many areas, and though many live out of the way of the direct flooding, side effects like leaky roofs and moldy walls are still present.

The Menard News building, just across the street from the courthouse, had about an inch of water inside yesterday, where a big green fan sits whirring in the corner. In July, Collyn Wright with the News says that it was about eight inches.

“About 30 families had to leave their homes in the July floods,” said Wright. “It’s been concentrated in a few areas. Around Wagner’s (the auto store on the way out of town towards Eden) and then along Gay Street.”

On the state of the roads in town, Wright reports: “FEMA is still determining what they’re going to help with. The city is doing patching where they can, there’s just so many chunks of pavement gone.” 

Along many parts of the road leading down from the hills, and then into the Hollow, the pavement is not only missing, but channels that are nine or ten inches deep in some parts run right across the road. You can hear many cars scraping and screeching on the ragged roads leading out of Harris Hollow, anyone who isn’t driving a truck. 

Though the rains this time around proved to be less destructive than July, people in Menard have been on high alert for several months now. 

“I spoke with one man yesterday who had just got back from helping his mom clear out all the flooring in her home,” said Cherry Swindall, who we met at the Chamber of Commerce. “Her house was flooded in July, and they’re finally getting it restored, and from what I heard her house flooded yesterday.”

“July’s flood has made the community a lot more alert. We’ve had floods here my whole life, off and on, but nothing like July. 

“Bless their hearts, the cleanup crews have already been working around the clock.”  

On higher ground, the Menard Community Center is the emergency meet point. But by Friday morning it had cleared out except for one gentleman eating his lunch.  

“Oh, they’re sensitive to it now,” says Garland Locklear, who collected several buckets of water in his house yesterday. “Very much so, and now they’ve got the systems where they let people know ahead of time, so it was better than in July.” Locklear has lived in Menard County for the last 50 years and says that he’s never seen this much rain in a year, except once in the 1980s.

Both County Judge Brandon Corbin, and the Menard County Emergency Coordinator Jeff Whitson were reached for comment, but were understandably quite busy, and issued this press release: 

“Hello all – thank you for your interest and concern about Menard County. Below is our statement on the current situation. 

“Menard County has experienced significant rainfall, exceeding 10 inches, with more rain expected. Precautionary evacuations have been carried out at local RV parks and nearby campsites, and we will continue to actively monitor the San Saba River as it is forecast to peak at 19 feet near 7 PM.

“All current road closures can be viewed at DriveTexas.org. Travel is discouraged at this time, but if you must be on the road, reduce your speed, increase your following distance, and limit distractions. Never drive through moving water, even a few inches can sweep a vehicle away. Remember, turn around, don’t drown.Anyone in need of immediate assistance should call 911.”

Current forecasts are calling for some possibility of precipitation on Monday, Nov. 24. At the time of publish, a disaster declaration has not been issued for Menard County. There were no deaths or injuries according to our interviews. Every road leading in and out of Menard is open, but a few still have barricades or debris from yesterday.  

Further reading: State Flood Plan Called for 3.2 Billion in Improvements for Concho Valley