People in Wimberley recovering after historic flood

*Update* A nighttime curfew has been issued for San Marcos and Wimberley. It begins at 9 Sunday night and goes until 7 a.m. Monday morning.

Saturday, about 10 inches of rain fell over Wimberley causing catastrophic flooding along the Blanco River. 

Hundreds of homes were swept away and several people staying in the area are still missing.

People in Wimberley were shocked when the Blanco River climbed to historic levels destroying everything in its wake.

"Honestly, it looks like a hurricane came through here and everything's torn to pieces," said Shelby Follmer who lives in Wimberley.

Those that live along the river said they were caught off guard because they have never seen the water rise so high, so fast.

"I was on my computer and all of a sudden I felt my feet wet and I looked at the front door and it was pouring in the front door," said Fran Barrington who lives next to the Blanco River.

The water kept climbing to more than 40 feet.

"Quite a bit of water came through, ripped a lot of people's homes apart," said Follmer who says he helped authorities with rescues overnight.

People watched as the flood destroyed everything they own, wondering if they too would be swept downstream.

"The furniture's floating around the room, bookcases floating around and I knew none of that could be saved," said Barrington.

"I was hanging out the window watching the water come up the roof and the guy, the rescue guy, hollered at me, ‘We have to leave to try to go fix the boat, but we'll be back.' And I was sitting there in the dark. I began to wonder, ‘Am I going to make it?'" Barrington added.

Barrington was one of the lucky ones. Texas Parks and Wildlife got a rescue boat to her just in time.

"It's a complete disaster. It's very heartbreaking," said Follmer.

The strong currents also washed away about 10 cabins at the 7A ranch.

"The water was over the cabins and it was probably 13 feet deep," said Candice Strickland who was staying at the ranch with 55 of her family members for a reunion.

Water chewed through cinder block there leaving only the foundation intact.

"You could just hear the snapping of the houses, the cabins, the trees were just being uprooted and cracked in half. The power lines... We saw some walls crack off of the cabins and just float down the river," said Jennifer Wright who was staying with Strickland at the ranch.

The owners of the ranch said they will not be able to rebuild the 69-year-old cabins because they fall within the flood plain, but others in Wimberley are not ready to move on.

"I'll either fix the house or demolish it and start all over again depending on what insurance says, but, yeah, I love it here," said Barrington.

Wimberley may not look anything like it did 24 hours ago, but unlike the broken pieces left behind; the community is stronger than ever.

"It's going to take a lot of work to get it back to where it needs to be, but this community is already coming together very quickly and I think we're all going to get it built back," said Follmer.

A water boil notice is in effect for all of Hays County residents on well water until further notice. Water needs to be boiled at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for a total of one minute to decontaminate and purify the water.

Rescue operations are continuing in the area.

Residents are being urged not to travel, drive or leave a safe location. Hays County officials have asked that residents not attempt to go back to their homes.