In the LaCoste area, 15 people and 10 pets were rescued from a local RV park.They were rescued with the help of a good Samaritan, Larry McMillan, who just happened to drive by the scene and graciously offered to go get his jet ski to rescue several families that were stranded.
The flooded RV park is near Medina River Bridge on Lower LaCoste Road (County Road 4713 which goes by Sammy’s).
“I was on my way to Castroville to have breakfast,” McMillan said.” When I drove up on the road closed sign, l looked over at the RV park.”
“Just seeing those kids over there…I knew we had to get them across,” McMillan said in an interview this Tuesday. “When I first saw it around 8 am that morning, the water hadn’t made it to the RVs yet. The waterline was maybe about 10 feet from the RVs. After talking to the Fire Captain from LaCoste I told him I would go get my jet ski, and I went to my house and got back to the RV park about fifteen minutes later. By the time we got everyone out, it was about an hour later. There were several people who didn’t want to leave their RVs. I was instructed to have them write their name and social security numbers on their arms if they refused to come with me. I tried to tell them ‘there’s more water coming, and everything here can be replaced, but you can’t.’ Luckily, they all decided to come across….. It wasn’t long until those RVs were underwater. I’d say it was around 3:30 or 4 pm when the water made it to the top of the RVs.”
“The water I went through was about 12 feet at the deepest part and it was flowing fast. I don’t know what else they would’ve done to get those people across. There was no way anyone was going to swim across it, and the slope of that bank would have made it really hard to use a boat. I was really worried that we were going to get hit by debris floating through the water and topple over,” McMillan added.
One of the RVs washed down the river and wrapped around a tree that Saturday, as well as a flat bed trailer, and tables and kayaks.
Family rescued from home along Quihi Creek
Hondo Fire Dept. also conducted rescues that morning over in Quihi. They rescued 4 people from a home along the Quihi Creek around 8:15 am Saturday.
“Almost the whole community of Quihi along the creek was under water this morning,” Hondo Fire Chief Gaylon Schueling said. “Two families had already left, and we rescued four people from one home. There were a total of four homes with water inside, and the water was really close to two others. If water wasn’t in it, it was right at the door.”
In addition to all of that, Castroville Fire Dept. also responded to a water rescue of a vehicle on CR 584 in LaCoste that same day. Hondo also had another caller who drove into high waters and called for help though he was luckily able to escape.
With so many high water rescues occurring across the county in the past few weeks, one local fire chief says “Don’t remind me” when asked about more rains expected later this week.
Turn around, Don’t Drown!
