SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: As of Sunday, June 15, 13 people are confirmed dead county-wide as a result of Thursday’s flooding, according to a Bexar County spokesperson.
It still seems like a bad dream to Angel Richards, even though she has accepted the realization that her husband may not be coming home.
Richards told KSAT she was on the phone with her husband, Stevie, early Thursday morning when their conversation was suddenly cut short.
“The call I got, he was going into some water. And that was it,” Angel Richards said, describing the abrupt ending. “I just don’t want to believe it. This is not something that happens.”
What Richards suspects happened is that her husband of 15 years was among more than a dozen drivers who found themselves in over their heads, caught up in raging floodwaters from an overnight storm. Authorities said at least four people are dead.
Richards fears he may even be among the dead.
“At this point, I want them to just rip the Band-Aid off because I’m already knowing I’m fixing to get the worst news of my life,” Richards said.
During her brief phone call, Richards said her husband was having second thoughts about going to work in the rain.
Suddenly, Richards said she heard the sound of rushing water coming from the other end of the phone.
Later, Richards saw a familiar set of rims on an upside-down car, sticking out of the water near the Briar Glen Trailhead off Perrin Beitel.
“As the water was receding, I could see that that was my car,” Richards said. “When (firefighters) went down, I could hear, ‘That’s a Cadillac.’ That’s my car.”
The car was among more than a dozen vehicles — 15 in all — which San Antonio police said began in the area near Northeast Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel.
During the heavy downpour, those vehicles were carried about a half-mile downstream to an area near the trailhead.
Along the way, the combination of floating cars and heavy rain appeared to have also caused destruction.
A huge ditch off Perrin Beitel was left with damaged retaining walls.
The toll on people, though, was heavier.
“There are four deceased: two male, two female,” Chief William McManus told reporters on Thursday morning.
During KSAT’s News at 5 on Thursday, SAPD officer Nicholas Soliz confirmed to KSAT anchor Steve Spriester that a fifth body was recovered from the scene.
Soliz also told Spriester that 19 people in all were in the water at one point in time.
San Antonio firefighters managed to rescue 10 people from the area, approximately one mile away from where they entered the water. Some of them were clinging to trees.
Four of them were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
At some point, McManus said it appeared all of the dead and rescued people were inside the vehicles.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, there were still at least two people who were unaccounted for.
Fire crews continued searching the area for them, although McManus said it was possible they could have abandoned their cars and left the area.
“‘How does that even happen?’ I don’t know,” said Richards. “Someone’s going to have to give me answers. This is not normal.”
Authorities confirmed that Richards’ husband, Stevie, was among the five people dead.
With more rain in the forecast, McManus used the opportunity to remind drivers not to take chances.
The chief said the depth and speed of high water can be a bit deceptive.
“And if you venture into it when the water’s deep and the water’s moving real fast, you’re taking your life into your own hands,” McManus said.
McManus also encouraged anyone who may have left a car abandoned in the water to contact SAPD. This will allow investigators to identify anyone who may have been counted among the missing.
More Thursday flood coverage on KSAT: