SAN ANTONIO – One year after a deadly flood swept vehicles off the road near Perrin Beitel and Loop 410, families of the victims and city leaders say progress is underway, but visible safety upgrades remain difficult to see.
The flood killed 11 people in the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel area when a wall of rain moved through, sending fast-moving water across the road.
Another victim was located several miles north of the Perrin Beitel search area. The 13th victim died near U.S. Highway 90 in the Leon Creek area.
Some victims were on the phone with their loved ones as they died.
Memorials have been placed near Briar Glen and Perrin Beitel, where family members and neighbors continue to stop and reflect
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said there is broad agreement on the urgency of improving infrastructure and flood mitigation across San Antonio, but turning that consensus into noticeable change is a challenge.
“City Council needs to demand from city management that we see the progress in those areas, and we will,” Whyte said.
Whyte said the biggest hurdle is funding — deciding which projects to prioritize and where the money will come from.
In November, a city investigation into the flood provided new insight into what went wrong. Whyte said discussions are also ongoing with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) about potential improvements.
For families who lost a loved one, those conversations offer limited comfort when they drive by Perrin Beitel and see little change.
Stevie Richards, 42, was one of those victims. His wife, Angel, said she’s slowly healing.
“I feel like nothing was done to prevent something like this from happening,” said Angel Richards. “So it makes me angry at the same time. It’s just hard for me to steer away from what could have been done differently. And then to pass through the area and see that there’s still something like that can happen again, if it rains like that again — it’s disturbing.”
Whyte said there has been increased coordination to monitor low-water crossings and improve public safety messaging. He encouraged residents to stay weather-aware and avoid driving into high water.
Separately, Bexar County launched a public awareness campaign last month called “Floods Don’t Care.” County officials said the tragedy helped spur the effort.
The county is also investing $21 million in upgraded warning systems, officials said, to improve alerts and monitoring during heavy rain.
KSAT will continue to track what changes are being made and when residents can expect to see concrete improvements at Perrin Beitel Creek and other flood-prone areas.
More Perrin Beitel flood coverage on KSAT: