‘Worst I’ve ever seen,’: Cleanup continues in Wimberley following severe storm
WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — Cleanup continues throughout Central Texas after the severe storm that rolled through Thursday.
Many areas were hit with hail and strong winds.
RELATED COVERAGE: San Marcos reports downed trees, power lines after hail storm
Over in Wimberley, downed tree limbs and branches could be seen throughout the city.
‘It’s scary’
The Senior Citizens Craft Shop in downtown Wimberley lost power because of the storm.
The shop is a co-op of senior citizens that create a range of hand-crafted goods like clothing, accessories and home decorations.
The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN) The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN) The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN) The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN) The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN) The Senior Citizens Craft Shop of Wimberley said it is a co-op made up of 30 members. All items in the shop are handmade or hand embellished by one of 30 senior citizens in Wimberley. (Photo: KXAN)
“The electricity was torn off of the building. So we had live wires across the driveway.”
Madonna Kimball, President of the Senior Citizens Craft Shop
The shop is typically open seven days a week but had to close because of this.
“It took me 18 phone calls, 18 different electricians between San Marcos and Dripping Springs to find one to be able to come out today,” Kimball said. “They’re so busy. They’ve got stuff going on all over.”
Jan Stark, a member of the shop, said in her more than 20 years of living in Wimberley, this is the worst storm she’s seen.
“First time my husband and I realized that we don’t really have a tornado plan,” Stark said. “It was an eye opener, for sure.”
‘Thought he was in a possible tornado’
From downed trees to broken glass, cars were hit hard by hail. One of those cars was a Hays County Sheriff’s Office truck.
“It’s pretty extensive to where I suspect it’s probably going to be totaled.”
Deputy Anthony Hipolito, Hays County Sheriff’s Office
Hipolito said a deputy got caught in the storm while driving from San Marcos to Wimberley.
“He had to pull over. Essentially like a bomb going off every time it would hit his roof or his hood,” Hipolito said. “Glass essentially getting sprayed all over him. He truly thought he was in a possible tornado.”
RELATED COVERAGE: ‘Out of control,’ Hail in Dripping Springs smashes car windows
The deputy covered himself with his backpack for protection, according to Hipolito.
Luckily, Hipolito said the deputy was not hurt but he was left shaken up.
“Trucks can be fixed. Our property can be fixed,” Hipolito said. “We all have insurance for that particular reason. We’re just grateful that he was okay.”
Hipolito said the sheriff’s office doesn’t have an exact count for the number of squad vehicles damaged by the storm.
He said a few were towed to their maintenance yard to be looked at.
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