It’s been years since Jesse and Mary Causey flipped through their news clippings and photos albums, which serve as their memories of home in New Braunfels along the Guadalupe River.
“It was a beautiful home and the river was right there in the backyard,” Mary said.
“It was a gathering place… a fun place for everyone,” Jesse recalled.
The couple enjoyed summers on the river and watching the tubers float by. But in October 1998, that same river they loved so much took everything they owned.
“I never knew it would look like a tornado hit. There was so much stuff scattered around,” Mary described. “You just have to be careful, and if you build a house on the river, that's a risk you take.”
It’s a lesson they learned yet again during the floods of 2002. The City of New Braunfels also learned a few lessons from the floods.
Mayor Barron Casteel said that they've made major drainage improvements since then. They've also upped their building codes. The city now requires those who live in flood-prone areas to elevate their homes to higher ground.
According to Mayor Casteel, the city has also bought out homes along the water through the use of FEMA grants. Those homes are either elevated to higher ground or done away with entirely.
“What we do is create green spaces,” Mayor Casteel explained. “It protects our first responders from attempting to rescue from those structures.”
Just 20 years later, a lot has changed. The Causeys now live up on a hill in Canyon Lake. They say that while they're thankful their losses were only material, they'll never forget the floods of ‘98.
“I think everyone will remember it for a long time,” Jesse said.