Receding flood waters reveal a third car at the bottom of an East El Paso reservoir

Receding waters revealed a third car that sank to the bottom of the reservoir Monday. The day after the storm hit, people could only see two vehicles. It tells a story of just how serious this flood was. It happened near Eastwood Middle school in a neighborhood in between Bywood and Album.

Yolanda Castillo says she left her purse inside. When she was sinking, grabbing her wallet was the last thing on her mind.

The night of Wednesday, Sept. 17, lots of rain came down and filled the streets, which drained into the reservoir. Castillo and her companion Refugio Castillo said inside, the water level rose to 15 feet or more. Soon the reservoir was so bloated, the water started to escape back from where it came, to the streets, destroying fences, and filling the Eastside neighborhood with water that hit at the waist.

“I was at home when she called on her cell phone and told me I’m in trouble there’s a lot of trash cans brushing against my SUV,” Refugio Castillo said, “and I’m very terrified I need for you to come over and help me. But the there was too much water and it was too strong.”

The height of the water pulled from neighbors’ front yards, their trash cans and belongings; the weight of the water crushed the the cement drains, and caused the reservoir walls to crumble; the strength of the water pulled in nearby cars, including Yolanda’s.

“It started swirling the car,” Refugio Castillo said.

Yolanda and her Yukon began falling into the reservoir in reverse. Yolanda can’t swim and as her car filled with water she thought she was going to die.

“I’ve never seen this,” said 18-year resident Robert Gutierrez. “I was here for the storms of 2006 but I never saw vehicles coming in here like this.”

Yolanda is thankful a young man named Vicente Vasquez, who’s truck was also pulled in and submerged, came to her rescue. She lives to tell the story of severe weather, her ruined car and the belonging she left behind are worthless and worth less than the life she almost lost.

“I’ve gotten over it, but at first, I just couldn’t believe this lady was going to die,” said Refugio Castillo, “and I was going to have to tell her daughters they lost their mom.”

The Castillos said the city said they have to pay to get their car out. With only liability insurance, they lost a lot of money, but not her life and that’s what matters.