Prayer Flag ceremony held in Wimberley to commemorate deadly 2015 Memorial flood

People in Wimberley commemorate the anniversary of the deadly flooding that took the lives of 11 people.

A Prayer Flag ceremony was held Monday. The flags are available to be purchased, with the proceeds going to support the Blanco River Monument and Memorial Sculpture Garden.

Monday, a group gathered near the Blanco River to present Sun Print Prayer flags to commemorate the flood.

Leon Little is one of those that attended the event; he lost three family members in the floods. His said the last year of his life has been difficult.

“It's like baby steps, one step at a time, and those are very very very hard steps, very hard, you know, he said. He lost his step-son, daughter-in-law and grandson. “It’s hard to accept when you lose that many people in one instant,” he said.

The bodies of his 6-year-old grandson Will Charba, as well as 4-year-old Leighton McComb have yet to be found. Just last weekend he said family members were searching for them, in hopes to get some sort of comfort.

“I don’t like the word closure because it's like closing the book on them and you don't do that, I don't,” Little said.

Over the last year the community of Wimberley has come together to rebuild and restore. Jan Fitzhugh is the President of the Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance and helped organize the Prayer Flag event.

“It's simply amazing how this little town has risen above the waters of the flood. The town has come together stronger than ever. We've really as a small community just been able to come together and overcome so much with the help of our neighbors. There are so many different symbolic flags that have been created, there's one that says mom, there's one that says children’s names on them, all kinds of symbolism that has been used on the flags that are meaningful to those who created the flags,” she said.

The flags are available to be purchased, with the proceeds going to support the Blanco River Monument and Memorial Sculpture Garden.

“We want it to be a quiet place for people of Wimberley and visitors to be able to reflect on the river and to be able to appreciate what's happened in Wimberley and a place where they can find peace and solitude,” Fitzhugh said.

A peace and solitude, Leon Little hopes he and his family can find.

“I’ve been through a few a through tragedies, but nothing like this, nothing like this. Maybe the good lord will sooth it for us, but you know to get over it, I don't think it will ever happen, not for me anyhow and our family,” he said.

The Blanco River Monument and Memorial Sculpture Garden will showcase the work of local artists with other sculptures that are meaningful to Wimberley's history and culture. They also plan to restore many of the native plants that grew along the banks of the Blanco River.

You can click here for more information: facebook.com/blancorivermonument