Bandera County emergency officials credited early coordination among local and state agencies with helping the county avoid flood rescues during this week's heavy rainfall.
The Emergency Operations Center activated at 10 p.m. Tuesday to monitor rising water and coordinate the county's response. Agencies involved included Bandera County Emergency Management, area fire departments, the Bandera County Sheriff's Office, EMS, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District.
Emergency Management Coordinator Judy Lefevers said the joint effort allowed officials to closely monitor river gauges and changing conditions along the Medina River.
The county reported no water rescues during the event.
"We had one stranded motorist this morning that drove into some water and his car stalled, but we were able to get him safely out of the vehicle," Lefevers said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, all major highways in the Bandera area had reopened, and crews continued working to reopen additional flooded roadways.
"They're heeding our 'Turn Around, Don't Drown' warnings," Lefevers said of local residents.
Lefevers praised personnel with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District, who worked alongside emergency officials for nearly 48 hours.
"We're very thankful to have the partnership we have with the river authorities so that they can provide us that level of expertise on interpreting what we're seeing with our gauges and the way the rivers are responding," she said. "They're the experts."
The response comes less than a week after Bandera County commissioners approved submitting a $1.25 million grant application to the Texas Water Development Board to expand the county's flood warning network. The proposed project would add eight stream gauges, six rainfall gauges and eight outdoor warning sirens throughout the upper Medina and upper Sabinal river watersheds to provide earlier flood detection and public alerts.
Lefevers said she looks forward to the expanded warning system, which she said will further strengthen the county's ability to protect residents during future flood events.
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