MEDINA COUNTY, Texas — When a sudden downburst comes along and drenches the hills and valleys of the Medina River valley north of the lake, serene landscapes can turn into killers quickly.
Officials say that is what happened Monday night when a 20-year-old man died as he was driving home in the dark and his vehicle was swept away by a rising tide during a flash flood.
First responders said it could happen to anyone, as the area is undergoing a period of explosive growth, with more newcomers calling the area home every day.
Sarah Windsor is the Assistant Chief of Medina County Emergency Service District 1. Windsor said people who are new the area, who haven't seen what can happen during heavy rains, are particularly vulnerable.
"The growth in this area, you can see it. It's explosive, specifically in the last six months, so people who might not have been here during previous rainy seasons or during previous historic flooding, they would never know that's what we see out here," Windsor said.
Windsor added that all the new homes and businesses that are being built are causing dramatic changes to the watershed, with more runoff coming more quickly.
"If something heavier does fall above that area we will see that increase quite quickly," Windsor said.
She said runoff patterns are constantly changing too and what may have been safe historically, may be dangerous now.
The danger at night, Windsor said, is especially acute.
"We don't have the street lights that you would see in your city neighborhoods. There is nothing illuminating it."
Windsor said in the dark, fast moving water can look just like solid ground causing drivers to become trapped.
"You would never really know if it's anything other than roadway unless you know and you saw it rise," Windsor said.
The unknown can turn deadly for drivers and the first responders who try to save them.
"It becomes a very, very, very dangerous situation, especially with how violent that water is," Windsor said.
Windsor said to be safe when the weather is not: don't go out if you don't have to. Stay off unfamiliar roads and stay off your phone.
She said in the hills, the mantra they repeat is more important than ever: Turn around. Don't drown.
The name of the man who died has not been released as they are still contacting his family, who live out of the country, but it was a hard-fought campaign to find him and save him when he called 911 and told the dispatcher his vehicle was being washed downstream.
"My dispatcher was able to have a 12 minute conversation back and forth. There was a lot of panic," Sheriff Randy Brown said.
Windsor said first responders risked their own lives to race out into the storm and try to find the victim, but after searching in the dangerous dark for several hours they gave up for the night and returned at first light on Tuesday.
Windsor said first responders from agencies all over the area waded into the muck and picked through debris for about five treacherous miles before they finally recovered the man's body.
"There was a lot of boots on the ground working different directions on this creek bottom," Brown added.
With darkness falling earlier now, Windsor said it's more important than ever for residents to pay attention to weather forecasts and plan ahead with an alternate route whenever heavy rain moves through.
"Many first responders are willing to risk a lot for a lot, that's an absolute given, but when you are in those conditions you already can't see, so if you don't have to be on the road, don't. It's not worth it," Windsor said. "We would prefer that all of our citizens stay nice and safe and dry."