BANDERA COUNTY -- Thousands of travelers went to Bandera for the holiday weekend to participate in the Bandera Regulars 55th Annual Memorial Day Trail Ride. The PRA rodeo at Mansfield Park also attracted visitors.
However, the overnight storm forced many to leave early because of massive flooding.
Now, residents have a huge mess to clean up.
"We had a regular thunderstorm earlier in the evening. Then we thought it was over. Then it came back with a vengeance," said Bishop Malcolm Smith of Unconditional Love Fellowship.
It's a storm, locals say, reminiscent of the Hill Country's big flood of 2002.
"We got scared. We thought the roof was going to collapse on us. The window glass was shaking," said Prakash Nara, visiting Silver Spur Ranch with his family for the weekend.
Close to 2 a.m., sheriff's deputies ran around Bandera telling folks to seek higher ground. Residents tell us downtown was packed as tourists and locals tried to make their way out.
"Ten miles down that way, they were saying that it was like 9, 10 inches of rain," said Nara.
The entire city was without power half an hour after the storm began.
The roof of the Bandera Bulletin collapsed, reported our Deborah Knapp, who captured multiple photos of the aftermath.
Bandera Marshals evacuated 30 RVs from the city's two campgrounds and up to 100 people with livestock, trucks and trailers from the city park.
Floodwaters swept away 12 to 14 motorcycles and six RVs at Pioneer RV Resort. Two RVs floated down river, and the others remained at the bank of the river down the hill from the resort.
Smith says eight feet of water swept through the fellowship's property just northeast of Bandera, washing away their 200-gallon propane tank.
"The siding of the bridge there we found a mile away down in the orchard," said Smith.
As Smith showed KENS 5 around the front of the property, he pointed out a fig tree showing where the water line touched. He estimates the waters rose eight feet on their property, filling a creek often without water.
"Most of the time Doe Creek is dry," said Smith. "It's been dry for ages, and to think of it coming up eight feet? I'm reporting something I can't really imagine."
TxDOT crews helped the fellowship regain access on and off the property by laying dirt where parts of the road washed away. Family and friends arrived Sunday morning to also help remove trees that washed along the entrance bridge.
"We have lost every fence," said Smith. "Every fence on our land is gone. Barbed wire fences, wooden fences just picked up and carried away."
Across the street from the fellowship's property, flood waters mangled two trucks and trailers in the trees. The calls for rescue could be heard at the back of Smith's ranch.
"He came running," said Smith of a man who lives in the back of the property. "When he came to the top of the driveway that we're now standing on, he described it as the Colorado River. He said all he could do was stand at the end there and hear them crying."
There were multiple calls for high water rescues throughout Bandera County. As of Sunday evening, no deaths were reported.
Unconditional Love Fellowship has all the manpower to help rebuild, they just need a little help with donations to kick-start their efforts. You can reach them at (830)460-4000 or visit www.unconditionallovefellowship.com.