Real Estate Photographer in Wimberley, TX

While most digging through the walls of rubble in central Texas can only imagine the angst and heartbreak of parents whose children are missing, Jonathan McComb knows their pain all too well.

“I still can hear their laughter, hear their voices,” McComb said.

On another holiday weekend a decade ago, McComb and his family were vacationing in Wimberley when torrential rain forced the Blanco River to swell, carrying the home they were in downstream.

McComb made it to shore, but his wife and children didn't survive.

He said his daughter, Leighton, was never found.

“I think it’s good for people to see that there’s hope, through tragedy. That life can go on, and I’m here to help do whatever I can for those people. Because they’re going through the worst part of their lives right now, and I did that. I know exactly how they feel,” he said.

As a volunteer for TEXSAR, McComb has spent the last four days alongside thousands of others working from dawn until dusk to clear mountains of debris that stretch for miles across Kerr County.

As little girls from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for and the bodies of adults and children await identification, he encourages those going through their darkest days to lean on their faith and the memories of those they desperately seek.

“Hold onto that because they can’t take that away from you,” McComb said.

How to help with Central Texas flood relief

Join NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 in our efforts to help those whose lives have been upended by recent storms and record flooding, as well as countless other crises. You can help by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your financial donation helps provide shelter, meals, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance during disasters like the one in Texas.

In response to questions about what people can do to help the area recover from the deadly flood, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a 501(c)(3) charity serving the Texas Hill Country, has established a relief fund to support vetted local response, relief and recovery efforts. Organizers said all donations go directly to organizations working on the front lines of the July 4 flooding emergency. All donations are tax-deductible, and you will receive a receipt for your gift. To learn more or donate, visit the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country here.

PHOENIX — The death toll is climbing, and many are still missing in the devastating floods in central Texas. In the heart of search and rescue efforts, one volunteer has lived this nightmare firsthand.

Jonathan McComb lost his entire family in the Wimberley flood of 2015.

Now McComb is opening up to ABC15 from central Texas, where he is putting his life at risk to save others, performing swift water rescues and taking part in search efforts.

He says anyone can train to respond to a natural disaster and help save lives.

On Memorial Day weekend of 2015, McComb was on vacation in Wimberley, Texas with his wife, Laura, and two little kids, Andrew and Leighton. They were staying at a vacation home along with five family friends.

McComb is the sole survivor of that group. Late on Saturday night of that weekend back in 2015, the Blanco River rose, and a wall of water swept the entire vacation home away.

This year, McComb marked the solemn ten-year anniversary by returning to Wimberley to honor his family, and spread the ashes of his faithful yellow lab Maggie, the only other one to survive that horrific night.

Seeing a similar, frantic scene play out almost exactly ten years later, makes McComb think of his family.

“Every second, every day,” he said.

McComb escaped the flood waters with several broken bones and a punctured lung.

“I can remember being, laying in the hospital bed myself, you know I said, when I get out, I'm going to be a part of this,” McComb remembers.

He helped with the search then, and he is doing it again now.

On another holiday weekend, with more than 80 dead and more missing due to the catastrophic flooding in central Texas, McComb set out to do what he personally vowed to do; rushing from his home in Corpus Christi up to Hill Country to help.

“You go through two different emotions, that's one, of heartache and pain and hurt, and suffering for the for the parents, for the individuals missing loved ones. And then on the other side, you know, you work your tail off, and you don't stop,” McComb said.

“I've said there's a time to cry, and it's not during the day,” he added. “Go home and do that at night. And get here and focus, and do what we can to help those that can't help themselves right now.”

After losing his family, McComb felt compelled to get certified in swift water rescues, training as a volunteer with Texas Search and Rescue, known as TEXSAR.

“There's a lot of work and effort and time into it, but anybody can do it if you put your mind to it,” McComb said. “Just reach out to local search and rescue organizations in your area, in your county, in your state.”

In Arizona, volunteers can train with Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association, or CAMRA. The program is run by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. There are also other volunteer rescue groups across the state associated with other county sheriff’s offices.

CAMRA reports a dramatic increase in swiftwater rescues in Arizona, writing on its website: “This is in part due to the continued influx of new people who are unaware of the dangers presented by Arizona's flash floods.”

Captain Bobby Dubnow with the Phoenix Fire Department is one Special Operations professional who trains the volunteers new to these programs. He says they will also learn from the highly skilled volunteers they will be working alongside.

Much of the flash flood risk is in the state is in northern Arizona, Captain Dubnow says, where small creeks and tributaries can feed into a wall of water that creates the flash, with little warning to those nearby. In the Valley, he says dry river bottoms can pose a risk, especially for the unhoused population who may use those spots to live and sleep.

Yet, Captain Dubnow tells ABC15 that Arizonans are fortunate because there are fewer residential areas up against rivers, like there are in Texas’ so called “Flash Flood Alley.” In the early hours of Friday morning, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, according to state officials.

“We're here to just have one common goal, and that's to get some closure for families,” McComb said about his work with TEXSAR.

Now remarried, with a young daughter, McComb leaves his family this week to help impacted friends, and strangers, search for missing loved ones.

Having lived through his own immeasurable loss, he also brings perspective.

“Rely on your faith, and lean on your friends, lean on your families and get through this,” McComb said. “Don't let the tragedy define you, but you define the tragedy, and how you deal with it, and how you come of it.”

McComb, taking his second chance at life, as an opportunity.

“I know I'm here for a reason,” he said. “And I'm here to help.”

The devastating floods in central Texas have left families and communities in urgent need of support. Scripps News and the Scripps Howard Fund are partnering to provide critical relief to those impacted. Every dollar donated here will go directly to helping victims recover.

This campaign is a Scripps News initiative in collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to this campaign are tax deductible.

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At its June board meeting, Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association founder and president Jim Blackburn stepped down from his executive position. Wimberley resident, Andrew Weber, attorney and TESPA board member, was unanimously elected to take the top leadership role.

“I’m very pleased to be handing over the reins at TESPA to Andrew Weber,” said Blackburn. “I’ve been the organization’s president since our beginning ten years ago, and it’s time for a change. Andrew will be an excellent leader in this challenging time of drought, water grabs and bad actors. He’s smart, competent and shares our conviction that the future of our region is dependent upon protecting our groundwater.”

As he stepped into the role of board head, Weber said, “We are all grateful to Jim for his leadership in creating and guiding TESPA in its first decade. As we continue to litigate unflinchingly for the water we need to sustain life and economy, we look forward to working on legislative solutions and collaborating with others locally, regionally and statewide. We are here to protect and defend this most fundamental resource.”

According to the TESPA press release, “TESPA was founded as a legal watchdog for local groundwater, and over the last decade the non-profit organization has achieved some important milestones through litigation and public engagement. Electro Purification was defeated and ultimately walked away from its plan to pump and sell huge volumes of Trinity groundwater in the middle of Hays County.”

“TESPA again protected groundwater for locals and filed suit against Kinder Morgan when its pipeline construction moved through the area and muddied the waters of local landowners’ wells. Currently TESPA is involved in several actions against Aqua Texas for over pumping and excessive line leaks. Further, the group is working to ensure local quarries don’t pollute groundwater and destroy sensitive habitat.”

Blackburn will continue to serve on the board of TESPA and lend his legal skills to litigation strategies against threats to local water resources. Blackburn promised, “I will continue to the best of my abilities to protect our groundwater and springs which are the lifeblood of Wimberley Valley and the Hill Country in general.”

The press release went on to say, “Most other non-profit groups working for resource protection in the region do not litigate or take legal actions. This important niche and often the best deterrent sits primarily on the shoulders of TESPA who stands ready to file lawsuits, go to court, and use the law to fight for the resources of our communities. ‘Often that is the only effective way to protect what is of utmost importance to all of us living here,” said Blackburn and signed off with, ‘I urge you all to support Andrew and TESPA as we move forward. I know I will.’” TESPA is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect the Trinity and Edwards aquifers from over pumping, the springs that flow from this interconnected system, and the property rights of landowners who depend on and wish to conserve this precious natural resource. For more information, visit TESPAtexas.org.

Once a beloved Hill Country summer stop, the drought-stricken Jacob’s Well Natural Area has remained closed for three years. So, could the recent heavy rains across Central Texas mean a long-awaited reopening?

The short answer: no.

Drought and diminished water flow have plagued the swimming hole and cave system since 2022, when Jacob’s Well recorded zero flow for the first time. But the torrential downpour on Thursday, June 12, painted a strikingly different scene.

"It looked like the Colorado River. Water was just roaring through here," David Baker, executive director of the Watershed Association, told KXAN. "It’s been probably the most rain we’ve had in the last four and a half years."

The deadly Texas storm system that swept through the Central Texas region triggered flash flooding and even spawned a tornado in the small town of Wimberley, where Jacob's Well is located. It was one of several drought-stricken areas the storm dumped inches of rain onto.

Still, despite the renewed flow, a reopening remains unlikely.

"These quick flash floods, um, do tend to make the river look a little better. But when we get these heavy rains, the flows only look this good for maybe a couple of weeks, like a month if we're lucky. It does tend to leave the area fairly quickly," Jessica Wollin, education and outreach coordinator for the Hays County Parks Department, told MySA.

The department keeps track of the rain, she said, and for the past three years the swimming hole is "missing over 50 inches of rain" compared to its annual average of 36 inches.

"We're sort of missing well over a year's worth of rain," Wollin said.

But even if more rain is forecast for the area, do not expect an immediate reopening date.

"If that [water level] does return to normal, we still would like to keep it closed from swimming because we want to let the aquatic life and the creatures and little microorganisms still have their space to heal before we just open it up for swimming and let people jump in," Wollin said.

Jacob's Well Natural Area remains closed on Friday, June 13, so that park officials can clear and repair the trails. It is aiming to reopen this weekend, according to a Facebook post.

Nicholas Hernandez is a digital reporter for MySA. Previously, he worked as an associate producer for NJ PBS’s nightly newscast. His bylines have appeared in Eater, the Bronx Times, AMNY, NJ Spotlight News and Bleu Magazine. A graduate of Seton Hall University, he also holds a master’s degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York City. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

The San Antonio-Austin mega-metro is bracing to hit a combined 8.3 million population by 2050, many Texans are starting to feel a bit crowded. A number of residents are opting away from the urban sprawl, drawn instead to the slower pace and historic charm of Texas' small towns.

A Reddit post from r/OUATaddict asked "What is the best small town in Texas and why?" and received almost 200 replies in the past month. Here's three specific spots that Texans couldn't help but praise.

Home to the Blue Hole regional park, the historic Jacob’s Well, and tons of history, Wimberley is reported to be home to just 2,881 people, according to 2023 U.S. census data. However, locals have grown concerned with recent developments impacting the beloved area.

"I grew up in Wimberley. It’s a lovely town but I will say it’s changed a lot (which is natural for any growing city)," r/BohemianJack replied. "Also their water issues scare the crap out of me."

"I also grew up in Wimberley. Sad to see it be urbanized so quick while I was growing up. I miss the memories of it from when I was little before there were as many tourists," r/spartinni added.

About 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth lies Glen Rose. The town is a must-visit for dinosaur lovers, or anyone with a love for Jurassic Park. With a population of 2,887, Glen Rose proudly wears the title of “Dinosaur Capital of Texas" thanks to its famous tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Not in the mood to time travel back to the Jurassic Period? Look no further than the village of Salado. Wedged in between Austin and Fort Worth, this rural community spans 2.8 square miles in the rolling countryside of Central Texas. Home to nearly 2,400 residents, Salado is described by r/Skorpyos as a "quaint, artsy, gorgeous and fun" place. With a brewery, several antique and art shops, a spring-fed stream and the historic Stagecoach Inn, which is the second oldest, continuously running inn or hotel in the state, the town is cited as a charming destination for travelers from near and far.

Whether you're planning a trip to a small town with a few thousand residents or venturing to a place like Los Ybanez, home to just 28 people, there’s no shortage of charm or things to do in these hidden corners of Texas.