In the days after floodwaters tore through the Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, donations poured in from across the country. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country quickly launched a relief effort, directing millions of dollars toward emergency assistance for survivors and affected communities. Like many across the Hill Country, the foundation’s CEO Austin […]
Category: News
Celebrating our 250th year
Kerrville’s Symphony of the Hills will commemorate the country’s 250th birthday with a free concert, flag art display and tribute to flood victims on Saturday, July 4, at the Cailloux Theater. The concert is a non-ticketed event with seating offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The lobby will open at 3 p.m., and the concert […]
A year on, Habitat Kerr County expects 30 flood-impacted families home
A year after the July 4 flood, Habitat for Humanity Kerr County expects to have 30 flood-impacted families back in their homes by the anniversary, the nonprofit said. The work has ranged from major repairs to complete rebuilds and new construction across Kerrville, Center Point and Comfort. Ten of the 30 families are moving into […]
The flood ended a year ago. Sandy Creek’s emergency continues
It’s been a year since the muddy floodwaters of Big Sandy Creek destroyed her home, and Brandy Gerstner is still living in an RV. Along the creek, no network of gauges or sirens has appeared — even though the flood that caught everyone by surprise after 1 a.m. last July 5 killed eight of Gerstner’s […]
Report shows 130 households return to stable, permanent homes
Standing in the middle of a brand new neighborhood that did not exist before last summer’s devastating flood, community leaders gathered Thursday at Habitat for Humanity Kerr County’s Mariposa subdivision to announce a milestone that few dared predict in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic July 4, 2025 flood: more than 130 households have already […]
Community healing one year after the July 4 flood
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country became a central source of housing assistance after the July 4, 2025, flood devastated Kerr County, destroying homes and displacing hundreds of residents. The Kerrville-based nonprofit opened the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund while floodwaters were still rising. Within a week, it awarded $5 million to organizations […]
After 8-Year-Old Daughter Died at Summer Camp, Her Broken-Hearted Parents Are Determined to Save Others (Exclusive)
The human heart craves routine, especially after it has been battered by chaos and inconsolable loss. So it’s hardly surprising that on any given day, as Clarke Baker drives from his home in Beaumont, Texas, on his way to the golf course, he swings by the cemetery where his 8-year-old daughter, Mary Grace, is buried […]
One year after the July 4 flood, Kerr County shows signs of trauma and healing
KERR COUNTY — Alicia Baker can’t bring herself to clean her daughter’s bedroom. Eleven-year-old Madelyn “Emmy” Jeffrey left a pile of craft supplies on the floor in their San Antonio home before heading off to the Guadalupe River with her grandparents, where they drowned in the flood last Fourth of July. A year later, the […]
Hunt Preservation Society’s recovery progress, a year after July 4 flood devastated community
HUNT, Texas – Before the July 4 flood, the Hunt Preservation Society was already an established local nonprofit. So when disaster hit, money was able to pour in immediately. The group quickly created a committee to help allocate those recovery funds to community members. “Our focus has been here in Hunt and Ingram, really the Hunt (Independent […]
One year after the July 4 floods, what are the lessons learned?
One year after catastrophic flooding tore through the Texas Hill Country, communities along the Guadalupe River are preparing to honor those who died while confronting the long work of recovery. The July 4, 2025, disaster killed 139 people across Texas, including 119 in Kerr County. Two Kerr County victims have not been recovered. The commemoration […]