The Day (and Night) of the Rio Grande Flood

Those of you who have been keeping an eye on the news might have seen that the Rio Grande Valley was recently affected by a torrential rainstorm on March 27, 2025. The area, which encompasses a large swath of territory in South Texas, received more than a foot of rain in spots and possibly even close to two feet in others, resulting in mass destruction, and even four deaths. I just so happened to live in that area on the day the flood took place, and while we had anticipated some rain, we could not have prepared for anything like this.

While I have shared extensive updates on social media, I have not written a proper blog post, which I feel it deserved, if only due to what I went through.

Before the Flood

The day began simply enough. I awoke to the power flickering out three separate times around 6 AM, after which it returned each time. Thinking nothing of it, I went back to sleep, then rose and began my ordinary routine, which included working on my day job articles.

Later that afternoon, I looked outside at the rain developing in the front yard and found it concerning, especially when a tornado warning was briefly issued for our area outside of Weslaco, Texas. I commented on this to my roommates, who assured me that there wouldn't be a tornado. One of my roommates, who happened to be a fellow author named Rhiannon Frater, was discussing the next steps we were going to take to help make the house feel more like home. We had moved in the year prior, and we were still fixing stuff up, which included moving boxes in, as well as arranging decor that had been in our storage shed into the house. During this time, I expressed concern about the rising water developing in our front yard. Rhiannon assured me that we would be fine, and that it wouldn't go beyond our front porch.

Until it did.

The Flood Begins

I was standing in Rhiannon and her husband's office when her husband exclaimed, "It's coming in the house!"

Water began rushing through the sideboards, and we worked quickly to get their comptuers off the floor, as well as unplug other electronic and sensitive devices. In a matter of minutes, water was entering their office as well as the living room, and we realized that we had no choice but to evacuate people and animals in the household. With the help of generous friends, we were able to arrange for a motel as we panic-packed our belongings. I shoved one of my cats in a box and one in a crate, and helped move them outside before assisting Rhiannon's elderly mother out to their vehicle alongside Rhiannon's husband.

We realized, after packing what we could, that I would not be able to accompany them. The plan was for them to flee the flood waters and return to me before it could get any worse. So, I made the decision to remain behind with my remaining cat, and hope for the best.

While Rhiannon has described the events they endured in better detail than I could: they encountered waist-high water at the end of the street, their car stalled out, they were rescued by passerbys fleeing the flood, and then were forced to push the car for at least two miles in waist-high water until it somehow started up again. Rhiannon and her husband pushed while her mother, in the passenger seat, helped steer the vehicle to safety.

Unfortunately, they could not come back for me that first night due to the waters being too high, which meant I was on my own.

The First Night

I lay awake on Rhiannon and her husband's mattress throughout the night, which was the highest point in the house. Though I had tried to call for rescue for me and my cat, local police response was stretched thin, and eventually, I was told that police would not be able to get to me.

So, for the next five hours, I lay awake, listening to the sound of the rain falling, watching water rise in the house, wondering if I would have to resort to making a terrible decision to leave my remaining cat behind due to not having an additional carrier at that time. Rhiannon continuously texted me every hour on the hour. Thankfully, the roof had been done the prior year, so it did not cave in. I fear it would have had those repairs not been completed. However, that did not mean I was out of danger, and as the hours rolled on, and water continued to seep into the house, it became ankle-high in the home. Outside, the sewage system was overfilling, which meant that, if I did have to flee on foot to the police station, I would have to wade through that water, which was waist-high in spots. I set alarms every hour to make sure that, if I did fall asleep, I would wake up and assess the water level in the house. The most haunting part of that night, beyond my own fears, were the sounds of the colony cats outside screaming as the water continued to rise.

The Next Morning

Thankfully, I did not have to flee; and the next morning, I woke to the water slowly receding in the house. The floors were still damp, and every time I crawled into their bed to rest, I was forced to wipe my feet with dish soap and paper towels to avoid potential infections from the water. It was at this point that I realized there was no filtered water in the house, and fearing sewage contamination in the pipes, I was forced to find water from Rhiannon's mother's canister in her bedroom across from mine on the opposite side of the house to prevent dehydration. I saw neighbors wandering through the waters and talking to each other in Spanish about what had happened.

I called Rhiannon and her husband several times to report on the status of the water on the street, which took hours to recede to a manageable level. Even so: while battling dehydration, as well as not eating due to fears that I would have to use a toilet that was no longer working, I tried to be proactive and determine my next steps, which involved trying to figure out where to go, how to get medications, and what I would do when I was rescued.

Rhiannon's husband called later to tell me that the main road to the house was flooded out. I told him that, if I had to wait another day, I would. Thankfully, he was able to find an alternate route. But even so: he had to park at the end of the street, and we had to wade through ankle-deep water with my cat Jonesy in a carrier her husband brought to get away.

The Hotel Stay (and the Rental Car Nightmare)

The trip to the hotel was terrifying. There was water on the military highway, but thankfully, we were able to fall in behind a truck, which pushed the waters aside to allow us safe passage. When we eventually made it to the hotel, we dropped Jonesy off with my cats Luna and Gigi, and went to Walmart to get food and other essentials. I nearly passed out due to dehydration.

We would stay for several days while I worked to coordinate a rental car for a trip to Idaho to stay with my mother in the town I grew up in Idaho, as Rhiannon was unable to find three-bedroom rentals in the area in Texas to also accommodate me.

For three days we tried to get a rental car in the Valley. When we couldn't, we were forced to drive to Corpus Christi (about two-and-a-half hours one way) to pick one up. We were told we were lucky to get a reservation, as people had been boarding Greyhound buses and shuttling over in order to get rentals.

Once her husband and I departed from Idaho with my three cats, it took us two full days of driving (from 8 AM one morning until 1 AM two days later) to reach the small town I grew up in within Idaho.

The Aftermath

The house in Texas is unlivable. With mold growing in the walls, the foundation cracking, and floors becoming uneven, Rhiannon and her family have been forced to relocate to a townhouse while they take the next steps in their journey. While I am safely in Idaho with my three cats at my mother's, the toll of this ordeal has affected me tremendously. I have suffered a variety of PTSD symptoms due to the flood, and while I am slowly recovering physically, mentally, I am still trying to sort things out.

The fact that four people died during the flood drives home the reality that I could've easily died as well, just like my roommates could have, and my cats, too. The generosity that has been given to us via a GoFundMe a friend suggested we start, as well as from alternative donations, has been incredible. The community has really helped us, and for that, we are incredibly thankful.

However, I am still not out of the woods financially. I was unable to work during the hotel stay, and as a result, I lost a great deal of work. This has put me in a tight spot financially.

If you have chosen to read this, and would like to help me directly, I would love if you purchased something directly from me from my Payhip store, or make a small donation by paying what you want for my Other Worlds collection on my Ko-Fi. At this point, anything will help, especially as I acclimate to life back in Idaho.

I spent almost fifteen full years in Texas, and though this has been an incredibly trying ordeal, I am incredibly thankful to have survived the flood.