A Night of Terror by the Guadalupe River
It was a stormy night when Jane Towler found herself in a little cabin by the Guadalupe River. Thunder crashed outside as rain poured in torrents. At 4 a.m., with water pooling on the floor, her phone rang. It was her friend Brian from another cabin.
“Jane, we’re in trouble!” he shouted.
Only then did Jane realize how serious things were.
Her grandfather had bought this property back in the 1930s. Over her 70 years, she had weathered many floods, but this night was different. The river surged 26 feet in 45 minutes, wreaking havoc. It claimed lives, destroyed homes, and swept vehicles away.
Jane rushed to her son Alden’s cabin, her heart racing. They had to act fast.
When she arrived, the water was already ankle-deep. “Everything’s floating away,” she said, panic creeping in. Luckily, they had a plan. Alden, quick-thinking as always, began moving belongings to higher ground. Yet as the water rose to his knees, reality set in—this was no ordinary flood.
“Should we go up in the attic?” he suggested. But Jane was worried about the rising water and mere moments later, the fridge toppled over into the swirling chaos below.
“What do we do to be safe? Should we go on the roof?” Jane asked anxiously.
“Yeah, let’s go on the roof,” Alden replied.
Climbing to the roof, they watched as their neighbor’s house collided with theirs, tearing it from its foundation.
Meanwhile, Simon-Alexander cradled her toddler daughter, desperately comforting her as fear washed over them. Just days prior, they had celebrated the little girl’s first birthday happily.
As power flickered off, Jane called 911 from a kitchen counter. “Help us, we’re going to drown.” The dispatcher urged them to get to safety as fast as they could. Soon, they found themselves clinging to life on the rooftop.
Finally, morning light broke over the ravaged landscape. They spotted passing cars and called for help. Rescuers arrived, and as they were taken to a church where others had gathered, they found themselves confronted by the aftermath of the storm.
“That’s where the real horror begins,” Alden recalled. With emergency skills from his wilderness training, he began to assist injured victims while Jane helped wounded families. They encountered children who had faced unspeakable horrors, but also acts of kindness—as a stranger handed Alden $300 for essentials.
Even five days later, emotions ran high as Alden spoke about the community’s spirit. In tragedy, they found a collective will to help one another—a powerful reminder of humanity in the face of disaster. The storm had left scars, but it also brought neighbors together in ways they would never forget.
Recent reports estimate that extreme weather events have increased by over 50% in the last decade, making incidents like this more common. This serves as a reminder of the importance of community resilience and preparedness for future storms.
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Texas, Texas Hill Country floods
