What used to be a lively stretch of riverfront filled with campers, picnic tables, and the hum of country music at Howdy’s Bar and Grill is now a wasteland of twisted debris, toppled RVs, and shattered memories.
Lorena Guillen, owner of a six-acre RV park and the well-known restaurant on the banks of the Guadalupe River, says the devastation left by last week’s flood is unlike anything she’s seen in her lifetime.
The destruction stretches for miles along the South Fork of the Guadalupe River, where the fast-rising floodwaters turned a tranquil holiday destination into a deadly disaster zone in a matter of minutes. Guillen’s property was directly in the path.
Among the losses, Guillen is grieving one far greater than property. One of her employees, Julian Ryan, was killed early on July 4 while trying to save his family from the floodwaters that surged into their home nearby.
READ MORE: Restaurant owner remembers employee who died saving his family in Hill Country Floods
Ryan reportedly smashed a window to get his girlfriend and their three young children out to safety. He suffered a fatal injury while ensuring they reached higher ground.
“This is one thing I want people to understand,” Guillen added. “I’m just a tiny speck in the totality of this tragedy.”
The site of her RV park and restaurant has now become a staging area for search and rescue teams, with airboats and emergency crews navigating the debris-strewn riverbank in search of the missing.
As of Monday, the confirmed death toll from the Texas Hill Country floods stands at 48 adults and 27 children, with several others still unaccounted for. Recovery teams continue to pull wreckage from the water, including vehicles, RVs, and personal belongings from camps and parks that once bustled with summer visitors.