Kerr County Facing Worse Flood Damage With Fewer Resources

By Emily Foxhall / The Texas Tribune

KERRVILLE, TX — Kerr County residents are cleaning out homes and businesses this month after the second devastating flood in as many years — but this time, some nonprofits and community leaders say they’re facing more destruction with less financial assistance and volunteer help than last year.

As of Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency hadn’t approved federal aid for individuals or local governments — including Kerr County, which, according to the Kerrville Daily Times, was already facing a potential $8 million budget shortfall.

The state by Monday had received 1,501 damage survey submissions, including 47 destroyed structures and 310 that suffered major damage, according to Shorey Harmon, Kerr County’s new emergency management coordinator. In addition to the flood damage, the area expects to suffer economic losses as tourists cancel trips during the busy summer season.

“This is a new flood,” said Jeff Byard, chief program officer for the veteran-led Team Rubicon, which brought volunteers to muck out homes. “This isn’t last year’s flood. People need help, and organizations need the support of partners and individuals.”

County leaders and locals say the public response hasn’t come close to last year’s flood, which grabbed global media attention after 119 died in Kerr County, including 27 girls swept away by the Guadalupe River at Camp Mystic. Robert Earl Keen, Miranda Lambert and other stars hosted benefit concerts, and resources poured in.

This year, one person died in Kerr County in flooding that affected a much broader region. But the media attention and the fundraising so far hasn’t compared, even though business owners and families have faced buildings filled with mud and debris that needed to be mucked out quickly and rebuilt — in some cases for a second time.

“Where are all the volunteers this year, compared to last?” Kerr County Commissioner Jeff Holt asked as he reviewed post-flood issues at the county commissioners meeting Monday, held in a former municipal court building after the flood swamped the county courthouse basement.

The City of Kerrville estimated it sustained $30 million in infrastructure damage to its water treatment plant, sewage lift stations and roads and bridges, Mayor Joe Herring said. Meanwhile, the county saw roads and bridges damaged and had to relocate staff from the county courthouse, County Judge Rob Kelly said.

School sports teams, locals who suffered through last year’s floods and some volunteer organizations have been serving meals and cleaning out homes. But other philanthropic groups report that donors haven’t given as much as last year. 

In 2025, Nathan Rich, a 24-year-old mechanic in Center Point, lived behind his light-duty diesel and vehicle repair business when the July 4 flood hit so quickly that he and his wife only had time to grab their shoes, go-bag and guns. They’d reopened the shop with help from volunteers who showed up the next day and were buying a new house when this year’s flood struck. 

The flood ruined Rich’s power tools, office and other machinery again — plus the home appliances he said the Zac Brown Band purchased for them after last year’s flood. Customers’ vehicles were totaled. Mud filled the shop.

Rich and an employee started cleaning out metal drawers filled with hand tools. They felt beaten down, he said. 

Then three volunteers arrived on Saturday to help, and their mood immediately lifted. They got enough done to reopen Monday.

“That made a huge difference,” Rich said. “ It’s not even necessarily about the money. It’s about just showing that there’s people that care.”

Some 250 small businesses asked for help within three days of the flood from LiftFund, which provided up to $10,000 in grants to help small businesses rebuild, including Rich’s, President and CEO Amy Hereford said. They had to close the applications because they had more than they could fund.

“They are hardworking, and they are humble human beings,” Hereford said. “And they are tired, exhausted.”

“They are helping each other — that’s always a given that we see over there,” she added. “They will go to the ends of the earth for each other, but they really need help right now.”