Flash flood concerns for Mason County

MASON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - What’s good for the ground can be deadly for drivers. Jerry Kruse spent his entire life soaking up that realization from his home in rural Mason County. Once every few years, the two creeks on either end of his property stop him from going anywhere.

“Oh, not long,” he said. “Three hours, four hours, half a day.”

Foregoing a flash flood Wednesday despite the warning, Jerry was careful to watch the water slowly start to flow.

“With flood waters, you can always go to the top of that hill and it would take a hundred inches to get to you.”

Draining into the creeks, water rolled off the rock formations nearby. As a former volunteer firefighter, Jerry’s son, Jimmy, saved his share of people trapped by those sudden surges.

“We had to do several rescues of people driving off in it,” Jimmy said.

Flood markers line the highways across Mason County to let drivers know the depth of the water. In extreme flooding though, Jerry said he has seen the water break the signs off at the base and wash them away.

“It just raised the concrete horn over and turned it down the creek,” he said.

The worst flash flood he can remember came in 1980, sweeping away the bridge and the highway just a few feet from his house.

“To go to school that day,” Jimmy recalled, “before the water receded, my brother and I had to swim both creeks to get to them.”

Living so close to two creeks, Jerry still planned to stay put.

“Why no, I aint’ going to move,” he laughed. “They’re going to get to you in a lot of other places worse than they do here.”

Obeying the water warnings, he spent 67 years in the same spot and does not plan to start wading into danger any time soon.