John Reed was hired in December 2025 to help manage 2025 flood recovery. He did not expect a second flood.
“I was not expecting a second flood,” Reed said Tuesday on Lead Live. “But with each one that comes, it causes us damage — but the community itself is resilient and we rebuild and we recover and we move forward.”
Reed, a Corpus Christi native with a background in Hurricane Harvey recovery operations, appeared alongside Macy Nettleton, a Kerrville native who joined the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country as Senior Program Officer in April 2026 after consulting since the immediate aftermath of the 2025 disaster. Together they described an organization that was never built to be a disaster relief agency and has become one out of necessity.
“On July 16th, July 17th, it was like sweeping your arm across the desk on all the projects and just recalibrating,” Nettleton said.
The foundation deployed a $5 million grant to LiftFund to support small business capital access. Its Disaster Case Management infrastructure now employs 36 case managers — most of them local women — working double and triple their standard caseloads. Out of 1,200 individuals registered in the foundation’s needs assessment following the July flood, the team has made personal contact with nearly all of them.
The foundation’s primary recovery model focuses on immediate stabilization: direct emergency financial assistance, temporary housing, home repairs, down payment assistance, and RV and mobile home replacements. Its ten-county regional footprint means the case management load extends well beyond Kerr County’s borders.
“They are so incredible — they are the true frontline warriors,” Nettleton said of the case management team. “Their work makes you want to move mountains to help those who were affected.”
The foundation’s Annual Nonprofit Summit is Sept. 22, 2026. The summit equips local organizations to navigate financial management, public relations, and crisis response. Fewer than 20 registration spots remain.
Nonprofit Summit registration and flood recovery resources: rebuildkerr.org.
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