According to county estimates, the Memorial Day weekend floods damaged more than 1,500 homes in Hays County, of which 321 were completely destroyed. As of press time, two people were still missing, and nine people had been confirmed dead in the county.

Those assisting with the recovery efforts said they are already seeing a drop in the number of people volunteering to help with cleanup.

“Once the sensation of this thing is over with, it’s going to be those of us who love this community and live in this community who are going to be left,” Hays County Commissioner Will Conley said.

Hays County, the city of San Marcos and the city of Wimberley have turned their attention to planning how to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.

“We will be in the recovery side of this event for years to come,” said Kharley Smith, Hays County emergency management coordinator.

At a meeting June 2, County Judge Bert Cobb said he is expecting a study examining western Hays County’s flood-prone areas to be completed soon. When it is, the county will have a better idea of how it can prevent similar events and mitigate loss of life and property in the future, he said.

One potential solution that has been discussed in the past—and was brought up at Commissioners Court at the meeting on June 2—is damming the Blanco River. Details about where dams could be built and how much it might cost have yet to be determined.

Sensors on the Blanco River meant to measure the depth of water were broken after levels rose 12 feet above their historic high, San Marcos emergency management coordinator Ken Bell said.

“Obviously [the level of flooding] was something we’d never seen before or [would] even contemplate happening,” Bell said.

For additional coverage from our media partner KVUE, watch "Officials discuss possible dam in Hays County following Memorial Day floods."