As San Macros residents’ approach 10 years since two natural disasters wiped out their community and resources months apart, a lack of concrete improvements only increases local fears of history repeating itself.
The historic Memorial Day and All-Saints floods hit several parks and neighborhoods in the San Marcos area, causing damages. Starting the evening of May 23rd, flash flooding afflicted the entire Blanco Garden neighborhood with families experiencing 2 feet of flooding in their homes on average. According to data from the Austin/San Antonio Weather Forecast Office weather event summary, the Blanco River Gauge crested at a historic 43.08 feet at 5:15 a.m. the morning of the 24th.
Redpoint, originally named The Woodlands apartment complex, was developed in 2014 and finished admist the flooding in 2015. The space it is built on was in conversation to be a city-maintained green space and park, with the residents supporting this motion 80% according to a city-conducted survey. Ultimately, the city funded the building of Redpoint on much of this green space, with a portion designated for trail walking next to the San Marcos River. This complex worsened flooding conditions in the Blanco garden neighborhood, causing flood water to flow back into the neighborhood due to the structure and layout of the apartments themselves.
12 fatalities were recorded between the two floods, with community members remembering one family’s traumatic struggle on Memorial Day.
“The dad was moving the car at the time and he was running back to the house, ended up on the porch but the house got picked up off of its slab and hit the nearby bridge” said Virginia Parker, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation and local volunteer “There were helicopters searching for the missing family for days all along the river, but only the dad survived”
Though the recovery response and relief groups were quick to begin the rebuild process, many of these replenished resources and homes had their process halted due to the All-Saints flood months later on October 30th, 2015.
“The October flood, you know, just put everybody on note again,” said Rachel Sanborn, director of operations and witness to the floods. “You do the giant cleanup, you get all the mud out of your house, you throw away all this stuff that’s been ruined, and then only four months later when you’re sort of halfway through the process you get hit with another flood again. It traumatized people who had lived on the river their entire lives, even pushing 60 and 70 year residents to actually get up and leave.”
In the current day, Redpoint (formerly The Woods) apartments and Blanco Garden neighborhood still coexist. With trails, paths, and drainage systems now in place that residents and others may explore the impact in every direction. (Photo credit: Candice Gilmore)
The city of San Marcos has received $33.7 million in flood relief grants over the past 10 years for both floods. After the initial Memorial Day flood, 400 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Claims were made in Hays county, totaling to $45,092,674.
The families in these neighborhoods were promised funding reparations and rebuilding in 2015, 2018, and 2021 with little delivery from the city on this promise. Out of 943 claims made after the initial flood and $11,954,795.98 million estimated in assessed damages, 492 were approved and $5,589,834.78 million was delivered.
Residents of the Blanco Garden neighborhood often see Redpoint as a reminder of the now- 10 year tragedy that afflicted their community. Amelia Geer, a three year Redpoint resident, shares her experience of living there amongst the recovery efforts and has only grown to be more anxious as the city falls behind in care for the community.
“I take my dog on walks at least twice a day and I walk around that area so often,” said Geer. “It just worries me how there’s no upkeep for the properties there so who knows if some other flood or disaster comes will we be prepared or if there will be any resources to recover.”
The city completed a drainage system project in late January 2025, designed to offload water pooling around neighborhood streets and collect it in a concrete storm-sewer system. Residents report this project has been in motion since 2021 and was re-done several times. Sanborn has hopes this project holds great potential for the neighborhood in terms of true flood prevention.
“We’re really hoping that this multiillion dollar drainage project will work and be able to be effective and help that neighborhood, even in situations where we have a double flood again” said Sanborn.
There is no one way to prevent flooding in ones area, though protecting and acting as an advocate for local outdoor spaces and wildlife is easily accessible in a multitude of ways.
