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Thirteen people died in a major flash flooding incident that struck San Antonio late last week. At least six inches of rain fell in a three-hour period on Thursday, leading to more than a dozen vehicles being washed into a creek.
The San Antonio Fire Department spent days combing through two search areas on opposite sides of the city.
At least 15 mangled cars and trucks were lifted out of a creek by crane. Ten survivors were rescued, including some who were hanging from trees.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the impact of the flooding was devastating.
“Thankfully everyone who has been reported missing has been recovered," he said. "Unfortunately, we know there’s a significant loss of life in what is the worst flooding event we’ve had in a decade.”
The identified victims range in age from their 20s to their 60s. An investigation into how so many cars were swept away was underway.
Nirenberg said the city will work to reduce the impact flash flooding events have on the city.
“We also have to continue to clean up the damage and assess the damage that has occurred over the last week," he told TPR. "We’re going to be working on ensuring we have adequate plans and mitigation plans in place.”
In a statement about the deaths, Joe Arrington, a public information officer with the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), explained that "11 are from the Perrin Beitel search area; 1 was located several miles north (upstream) of the Perrin Beitel search area; 1 from the Hwy 90 Leon Creek area."
Authorities also released the names of most of the victims:
- Derwin Anderson — male, 43
- Roseann Cobb — female, 41
- Carlos Valdez III — male, 67
- Martha De La Torre Rangel — female, 55
- Victor Manuel Macias Castro — male, 28
- Matthew Angel Tufono — male, 51
- Christine Gonzalez — female, 29
- Rudy Garza — male, 61
- Josue Pinadelatorre — male, 28
- Andrew Sanchez — male, 60
- Brett Riley — male, 63
- Stevie Richards — male, 42
A candlelight vigil was scheduled for Wednesday evening for the victims by the nonprofit San Antonio Aware and Prepared.
Organizers said the whole community is invited to attend from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at 5819 NW Loop 410.
"We will have a period of silence where attendees can meditate, pray, or reflect to honor and remember these lives lost to this tragedy," said the announcement.
More information can be found on the San Antonio Aware and Prepared Facebook page.
Since the flooding began on Thursday, SAFD reported that it responded to more than 70 water rescues and 16 "high water investigations."
The fire department said the majority of the rescues consisted of crews assisting drivers in vehicles in high water but called some of the rescues "harrowing" involving crews entering swift moving water.
It added that SAPD conducted security for the scene and its perimeter, conducted death investigations, notified next of kin, and monitored phone lines for calls from victims' loved ones, among other contributions.
District 10 San Antonio City Councilman Marc Whyte said his office is "looking at everything" related to the flooding inside his district.
Whyte said at the moment it looked like "a big wall of water" swept 15 vehicles off the Loop 410 frontage road and into Beitel Creek around 5 a.m.
He said no one was sure if the tragedy was related to anything beyond an act of nature, such as failure of any city infrastructure.
Public Works reported that more than dozen roadways were closed because of debris from the floods and possible structural damage to the pavement. At least a dozen low water crossings were also possibly damaged, and the crossings at "Vicar Drive at Beitel Creek and Old O’Connor Road have sustained significant damage and will remain closed pending full assessments."
Also, Bexar County closed three parks that were damaged from the recent floods until repairs were completed.
More information on the rest of the county's parks is available here.
San Antonio again saw significant rainfall on Sunday that closed roadways due to high water. About half an inch of rain was recorded at the San Antonio International Airport Sunday evening.
