City of Boerne employees across departments worked together throughout the historic flooding event during the week of July 13 to keep residents informed of the rapidly changing conditions and maintain public safety.
While there is still more to clean up, thanks to the emergency efforts of City staff and community partners, there was no loss of life or serious injuries reported in Boerne.
Rain began overnight into the morning of Tuesday, July 14 dropping more than six inches in some locations and closing many common low water crossings in town.
Wednesday, July 15 saw the heaviest rain with more than 10 inches recorded at Boerne City Lake, most of that within about seven hours. The heavy, persistent rainfall combined with already swollen creeks and a full Boerne City Lake caused severe flooding in and around town.
For a time, the Cibolo Creek rose by more than two inches per minute, quickly engulfing River Road Park and covering River Road itself. The flooding prompted the evacuation of low-lying areas along the creek, including many homes and an apartment complex. Many others were asked to shelter in place.
Coordinated Response
The Boerne-Kendall County Joint Emergency Operations Center was activated early Wednesday morning to better coordinate emergency response between the city, county, and state.
From the EOC, officials planned and assisted with evacuations, dispatched rescue operations, coordinated road closures, and monitored the ongoing emergency.
Boerne Fire and Police assisted with evacuations along the Cibolo Creek as water began to rise. They also assisted along Ranger Creek and near Boerne City Lake, where residents were under a voluntary evacuation as flood water cut off impacted neighborhoods.
Rescues and Service Calls
On Wednesday, the heaviest flooding day for Boerne, the City took 109 calls for service starting around 8 a.m. Of those calls, 36 were for water rescues. The Boerne Fire Department Swiftwater Rescue Team conducted three rescues from cars that were stranded in water – two walkout rescues and one boat rescue.
Most of the calls for service were to areas along River Road and the Cibolo Creek. A few calls were to the I-10 corridor.
Additionally, during the height of the flooding, City staff began using their work trucks to block flooded roads. A staff member from the Engineering and Mobility Department helped get a family out of their flooded vehicle on Adler Road and to dry ground.
Several partner agencies were in Boerne Wednesday to assist local first responders. At one point there were nine swift water rescue boat crews in town to assist as needed, in addition to Boerne crews.
Texas Game Wardens had several boats in the water to check stalled vehicles for occupants and patrol for debris that could cause further flooding. A Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System crew conducted ground operations and road inspections.
Historic Impact
Boerne City Lake
The rainfall on Tuesday alone brought Boerne City Lake up to capacity for the first time in several years with water flowing in from a swollen Cibolo Creek. Wednesday’s heavy rain pushed the lake to 140 percent of its capacity with water going over the dam into the secondary spillway.
As the lake rose, water filled the park and reached just short of the entrance. Water levels at the lake have not risen that high since at least 2015.
Here are a few more statistics that demonstrate the historic rainfall:
- The lake has recorded 23.55 inches of rain just since the start of June. Nearly half of that has fallen within the last week.
- The lake has recorded 35.4 inches of rain since the start of April.
- The lake has recorded a year’s worth of rain since April 1, a timespan of just three-and-a-half months.
Parks and Recreation crews will continue to assess the damage left behind and work on cleanup. The lake will remain closed until at least next week.
Cibolo Creek
Wednesday’s rain caused the already swollen Cibolo Creek to rise quickly, reaching 22.63 feet at its highest point. It quickly rose from 5.7 feet at 7:45 a.m. to 22 feet by 11 a.m. and stayed above 22 feet until almost 2 p.m. before beginning to recede.
The creek overtook River Road and River Road Park in town and covered the Main Street bridge and Herff Road intersections.
The 22.63 feet mark is the highest the creek has risen in Boerne since at least 2015. Measurements for the Cibolo Creek are taken at a gauge just downstream from the Cibolo Center for Conservation.
Final totals for this flooding event aren’t available, but initial estimates suggest it could rank among Boerne’s top three highest recorded flood events, according to available stream flow data.
Boerne Utilities
Boerne Utilities responded to weather-related power outages during the week and had customers back online quickly. Crews worked throughout the event to keep all services operating and restore service when needed.
The utility’s water treatment experienced no major issues, and the City of Boerne did not need to issue a boil water notice.
Customer Care and Billing took customer calls and helped coordinate restoration efforts throughout the week.
Animal Care Services
Staff with Boerne Animal Care Services coordinated an evacuation of 17 dogs and 30 cats from the shelter on Esser Road to the Kendall County Animal Shelter.
All adoptable pets have since been transferred to the care of Austin Pets Alive.
Ongoing Cleanup and Repairs
As soon as it was safe to do so, City crews were out across Boerne to assess the damage left behind by the storm and begin cleaning up. Some of these efforts will continue over the weekend and into next week.
Streets Department crews placed barricades as water levels rose and monitored roadway conditions throughout the event. They cleared debris from roads and drainage areas to get the City back up and running.
Parks and Recreations teams fanned out across the City’s parks and trails to begin clearing debris and determining what repairs will be needed. The bulk of the cleanup will take place at Boerne City Lake Park and River Road Park. Crews have also identified several uprooted and damaged trees along the Cibolo Trail near Waterworks Terrace that will need to be removed.
River Road Park, which underwent a full renovation and bank stabilization in 2024, came away with only minor damage, mainly to a fence near the dam. The new piers and elevated boardwalk were undamaged and the creekbank remained intact thanks to the dozens of limestone boulders placed during the project. The park will require a deep clean of debris and mud but should be open by the weekend.
Disaster Declaration
The City of Boerne issued a local Disaster Declaration, signed by Mayor Frank Ritchie, due to severe weather and flooding. The declaration positions the City to request state funding in the recovery efforts as damage assessments continue.
Additionally, Governor Greg Abbott issued a state Disaster Declaration for 59 Texas counties, including Kendall County, as a result of the flooding rains experienced across the region.
Emergency Preparedness
The key to weathering any major storm is preparedness.
The City of Boerne is grateful to our residents who responded quickly to emergency alerts and heeded the instructions of first responders.
The City reminds residents to plan ahead and have several ways to receive emergency alerts, including enabling Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone.
Boerne residents and Boerne Utilities customers can also sign up for automatic weather alerts from the City of Boerne. When you create an account, users can customize notification preferences, with alerts being sent via email, text, and/or phone call.
