Storm leaves its mark

May 19--Monica O'Donnell has lived through tornadoes before, but the noise from Tuesday night's storm was a completely new experience for her.

"I've never heard a sound like that in my life," she said. "I thought for sure all the windows were breaking, but it was only the one, and the one on my car."

There was damage all around the Northwest Hills subdivision home where O'Donnell and her family -- including husband, Brion, and daughters Ella, 12, and Ava Lea, 8 -- live.

O'Donnell listed the damage to her house: The skylight in the master bathroom was hit. The window to one of her daughter's bedrooms was broken, and the window screen "demolished," she said. The cover to the light above the garage was broken, and the back window of O'Donnell's 2006 Honda Pilot was destroyed.

O'Donnell's back patio lights and a vintage stool she purchased in Austin also were broken, she said. Her garden sustained damage, as well, but she hopes the damage wasn't too bad.

"As long as my roots are intact, my plants should be OK," she said.

The paint on the house -- which was painted only two years ago -- also was damaged by the hail, she said.

"It's crazy to think this has already happened," she said.

Kerr County was hit by a line of strong storms moving through the area Tuesday night. The damage from the storms, and the hail kept Kerr County law enforcement busy Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer.

He said the county closed 16 low-water crossings and fielded calls for downed tree limbs and debris in the roads west of Ingram toward Harper Road and Texas 16 North.

"Some of my employees lost windows in their homes and cars," Hierholzer said.

He urged residents to be cautious on the roads and to avoid water-covered roads.

"Now that the ground is so saturated, flash flooding is our No. 1 concern," Hierholzer said.

According to the National Weather Service, more storms are expected for the Kerrville area. The NWS forecast falls for a 90 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today. After a respite Friday and Saturday, more rain is possible Sunday with a 20 percent change of rain. The NWS forecast keeps chances of more rain in the 20 to 30 percent range from then through Tuesday.

Kerr County Engineer Charlie Hastings encouraged residents to remain cautious.

"There's rain in the forecast through the end of May," Hastings said. "We don't know where the storms are going to be and where they will hit."

He said about "half a dozen" county employees were dispatched Tuesday night to close low-water crossings. He reminded people to remember to "Turn around, don't drown."

"If there's water on the road, don't cross it," Hastings said.

He said that water over a road can conceal the depth of the water, a pothole or that the road is washed out. Any of those situations can be extremely dangerous, Hastings said.

"It doesn't take much water to wash a car away," he said. "Expect the unexpected."

Within the city limits, numerous low-water crossings were closed until the water receded Wednesday, Kerrville police Sgt. Chuck Bocock said.

"There were high-water areas throughout town," he said. "It seems the hail was concentrated on the west side of town more towards the county."

Off Scenic Valley Road, Paul Davis and Tammy Cordell had significant hail damage at their home. They spent much of Wednesday boarding up windows and getting insurance people out to examine the damage.

"I've seen hail and I've seen heavy hail, but I've never seen hail hard enough to punch a hole through the gutter," Davis said.

Nearby, resident Martin Burniston said the weather Tuesday night was the worst he had ever seen.

"There was a time last night when people could have likened it to being under bombardment," he said.

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