When the Guadalupe River and nearby creeks surged on July 16, Comfort resident Dustin Castro watched floodwaters swallow the family home his great-grandparents built in 1924.
As the river rose Thursday morning, Castro joined many of his neighbors in heading to higher ground on a nearby hill. Before leaving, he grabbed his camera, phone, computer and the clothes on his back, climbed into his truck and watched as the water poured nearly two feet into the home that has been in his family for more than a century.
After spending several days trying to clean up on his own while sleeping in his truck, Castro reached a difficult realization.
“I’m a proud man and it hurts my pride to ask for help. I need help,” he wrote in a Facebook post alongside a video asking for assistance.
“How are people going to help me if I’m not asking for help?” Castro said. “It hit me like a ton of bricks — I broke down, cried a little bit, and I just felt the urge to ask for help. I had to eat a big piece of humble pie and hit post.”
The response was immediate. By the weekend, volunteers were arriving to help remove debris, gut the flooded home and begin the long process of rebuilding.
Castro works as a maintenance employee at Gravity Check Saloon and Arena while also operating a real estate media business, producing photos and videos for Realtors. On the side, he creates balloon arches for celebrations and sells beef jerky.
His family’s home has a long history in Comfort. Castro said it originally operated as a store before later serving as a hospital. Over time, additions transformed it into the Castro family home, where generations have lived for more than 100 years. Occasionally, older residents still stop by to ask if they can see the house because they were born there.
This flood, however, caused damage unlike anything the family had experienced before.
Although the property sustained minor flooding in 2002 and 2009, and the yard flooded during the July 4, 2025, flood, Castro said the interior of the home escaped significant damage until this year’s disaster. The July 16 floodwaters rose roughly two feet higher than last year’s, leaving the home with major damage that required it to be completely gutted.
His younger brother, Dalton Castro, who lives next door, suffered even worse losses.
Dalton Castro’s home was flooded during the July 4, 2025, flood and was still being rebuilt when this year’s flood struck.
“Everything is ruined, nothing is salvageable and he got hit last year,” Dustin Castro said. “He just got done putting his life back together, somewhat, and just lost everything again.”
Many of the Castro family’s neighbors on the street, along with residents across Comfort, are facing similar losses as they work to clean up damaged homes, replace treasured belongings and figure out how to rebuild their lives.
One small blessing, Dustin Castro said, was that his 11-year-old son was away on summer vacation and did not witness the flood.
Still, nearly everything in his son’s bedroom was destroyed, except for several school awards, championship sports trophies and a handful of other treasured belongings.
Friends and community members have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help replace what Dustin Castro’s 11-year-old son, Seth, lost in the flood and to help create a stable home for him before he returns for the new school year.
Those wishing to contribute can find the fundraiser at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dustin-seth-after-the-july-flood.
For Dustin Castro, rebuilding the house is only part of the challenge.
“My son’s sense of identity and sense of security,” he said. “A home is supposed to be a place that you feel safe, you feel comfortable and you’re protected behind your walls. He starts school August 4, and he comes back (to Comfort) August 1. I have no home for him to come back to.”
He said people helping after disasters often don’t realize that possessions covered in mud can still hold tremendous sentimental value.
“That thing that’s covered in mud on the floor that looks like garbage is actually something that’s super important to me,” Dustin Castro said.
Even amid the cleanup, another challenge emerged. During an interview, Dustin Castro had to confront a would-be thief who was rummaging through flood-damaged belongings that had been placed along the roadside outside his property.
Despite everything, he said the overwhelming generosity of volunteers has given him hope.
Among those leading the effort has been Huntly Dantzler of Harper, who has spent the past two summers organizing volunteer crews in flood-stricken Hill Country communities. Dantzler also helped raise money to place Dustin Castro in a hotel for several nights.
“We started on Sunday over here and it was just unbelievable,” Dantzler said. “We got the whole house cleaned and mucked out. Then we met this owner, that owner, the next owner and it’s just going on and on to all the people that are waiting for us to get there.”
After helping residents in Hunt following last year’s flood, Dantzler said he quickly mobilized again when he heard about the devastation in Comfort.
The biggest need now, he said, is volunteers.
“If we can get the volunteers coming from all over the state, everywhere, that is the number one, primary thing right now,” Dantzler said.
Looking back, Dustin Castro said asking for help turned out to be one of the hardest — and most important — decisions he has made.
“Just ask because we truly are Hill Country Strong,” Castro said. “It’s a silly slogan, but it really does mean something when you’ve been through it.”
As for when life will finally feel normal again, his answer isn’t tied to finishing construction or replacing possessions.
“Once we have some flooring for my son to wake up on and brush his teeth on,” Castro said, “it’ll feel better.”
Any business or household that is affected by the July 16 flood is encouraged to complete the Texas Division of Emergency Management ISTAT form: https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/, and the Rebuild Kerr form: https://www.kerrvillechamber.biz/foundation-kerrville-area-rebuilding-recovery-fund/ for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, so community needs can be assessed and recovery services provided. In addition, the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation has launched the Rebuilding & Recovery Fund, which you can apply for on the foundation’s website: https://www.kerrvillechamber.biz/foundation-kerrville-area-rebuilding-recovery-fund/
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