Home swept away by Guadalupe River flood, neighbors unsure if family survived

KERRVILLE, Texas – The Guadalupe River flood swept away a home on Friday, and neighbors are unsure if the family survived.

Residents on Water Front Drive in Kerrville share what is left of their street.

A home captured on KSAT’s drone footage floated around the length of a football field down the Guadalupe River when the flood quickly rose along Bandera Highway and Loop 534.

All that remains of the home is the foundation and the cement stairs leading to the front door.

The Guadalupe River completely leveled the home. Several neighbors said they feared the family that lived here wouldn’t survive.

Scott Walden, who lives next to the house, walked KSAT through the wreckage.

“I had no idea that something like this could happen,” Walden said. “And then, holy s—. Stuff started to hit the walls, and my wife jumped up and looked out the back porch, and it was a river.”

Walden and his wife said the water came in so fast that there was virtually no time to evacuate.

“By the time I went to get my keys to move my truck out of the way to back up across the street, the water had risen and flooded my truck,” Walden said. “The water got up to the door this high, and I looked at my wife and was like, ‘We need to get out of here.’”

The water was too strong and too fast. It swept them down the river.

“We went ahead and jumped out, and we got washed down three houses, and we finally ended up snagged on a big bush,” Walden said. “So, we hung on to the bush until we got rescued.”

The couple hung onto a tree for about 30 minutes before being rescued by police officers, who formed a human chain.

“We were kind of going, ‘I hope this isn’t it,’” Walden said.

Walden said they are grateful to be alive, saying that their destroyed home and cars are just material things.

“Oh, this is just stuff,” Walden said.

Walden said one of his dogs survived, but another one did not.

Neighbor Irma Cantu said they live a couple of houses over, and fortunately, their home is safe. They were able to evacuate quickly enough. She said the feeling is overwhelming.

“A feeling of sadness, because, I mean, even the people that were here were expecting this to happen,” Cantu said.

As they pick up the pieces and continue to look for neighbors and loved ones, she hopes it’s a time when the community can stand strong.

“Helping each other, and this is when we need to come together and help each other out,” Cantu said.

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