People rescued from floodwaters in Bandera

Property damage, power outages, uprooted trees, major car accidents reported

BANDERA, Texas – People in Bandera were picking up the pieces after a severe storm socked the community early Sunday morning.

Heavy rains and strong winds knocked out power, uprooted trees, caused car crashes and triggered flash flooding.

"They all [first responders] just said, 'You need to get out. The river has ... (risen),'" said Tessa Farmer, who was visiting from Mason.

"In a matter of 10-15 minutes, it went from ankle deep to mid-calf," said Eric McCrea, who was visiting from San Angelo.

The heavy rain caused the Medina River to rise rapidly.

People staying at the trailer park along the riverbank had to be evacuated. Many also had to leave property behind. They returned hours later to assess the damage.

Tessa and Glenn Farmer's trailer was almost swept away by the floodwaters.

"It was real odd. It came up to the couch, the seating part, not the back. So that was about 3 feet of water and mud and it's in everything, it's in everything," Farmer said.

The storm also tore through a Memorial Day weekend event at the courthouse, leaving vendors with mangled tents, booths, and wet merchandise. Just up the road, the storm caused the Bandera Bulletin newspaper office roof to cave in.

While many were working to clean up the mess, they said they're counting their blessings and are thankful Bandera fire rescuers pulled nine people from the floodwaters.

"Some got swept away, but they found them. So nobody drowned, everything can be replaced," Farmer said.

"That's Mother Nature -- you can't predict anything," McCrea said. "There are people that lost some stuff, but its stuff not lives. So were all thankful for that."

The roof of the local paper 'Bandera Bulletin' caves in due to severe weather. #stormdamage #ksatnews pic.twitter.com/ZOWIhUCWuD

— Ashly Custer (@AshlyCuster) May 29, 2016