KERRVILLE, Texas (Nexstar) — The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country announced an $18 million immediate recovery commitment Thursday to help families, businesses and communities recover from the July 2026 floods, while warning that more private donations are needed to meet the region’s growing needs.
Speaking at Gibson’s Discount Center in Kerrville, Community Foundation CEO Austin Dickson said the funding builds on recovery systems created after the devastating Independence Day Floods in 2025, allowing organizations to respond much faster this year.
“We’re not starting over,” Dickson said. “We are standing on a stronger foundation than we had a year ago.” But a more concerning difference from last year is the fewer amount of donations. Almost all of the $18 million of immediate support announced Thursday comes from donations made last year.
Dickson said the foundation will need more donations, along with governmental support, to help victims from both floods recover to normalcy.
“We cannot simply free up last year’s funding to meet the needs,” Dickson explained. “There is not enough money to do that by a long shot.”
The recovery package includes $5 million for small business grants, $11.3 million for housing recovery and $1.7 million in emergency financial assistance for flood survivors through nonprofit partners across the Hill Country.
The $5 million grant to LiftFund will provide cash grants to flood-damaged businesses in Kerr County, while housing funds will support home rebuilding and temporary housing for displaced residents. Additional housing assistance for Uvalde County is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The foundation also awarded $1.7 million to four nonprofits providing emergency financial assistance, including Catholic Charities of San Antonio, which has already served more than 528 families since the July 16 flooding.
Dickson urged anyone whose home or business was damaged to complete the regional needs assessment through the Rebuild Texas Hill Country website, saying the information helps recovery organizations identify unmet needs and secure additional funding.
County asks White House for major disaster declaration
As local organizations expand recovery efforts, Kerr County officials are also seeking additional federal assistance.
In a letter dated July 30 to President Donald Trump, Kerr County Precinct 2 Commissioner Rich Paces urged the president to approve Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which would unlock Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, Small Business Administration disaster loans and federal tax relief.
Paces wrote that Kerr County has confirmed 384 homes destroyed or sustaining major damage, with more than 1,600 property damage reports submitted through the state’s disaster assessment system. He also said the City of Kerrville estimates more than $30 million in damage to its water treatment plant, sewer lift stations, roads and bridges, while nine of the county’s 11 bridges sustained damage.
The commissioner noted that many neighborhoods flooded in both 2025 and 2026, leaving families and businesses trying to recover from a second major disaster in as many years. He added that Kerr County lacks the resources to recover from another catastrophic flood without federal assistance and asked President Trump to approve Gov. Abbott’s disaster request as quickly as possible.
The letter was copied to Abbott, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Dickson acknowledged Thursday that philanthropy alone cannot meet the scale of the recovery.
“We need more philanthropic resources,” he said. “There are simply not enough donated resources to fulfill all those needs.”
Survivor says recovery system is stronger
Juliet Weldin knows firsthand how long recovery can take.
Weldin and her husband survived the catastrophic 2025 flood after escaping their home in the middle of the night. Their house is now being rebuilt by Samaritan’s Purse, while the Community Foundation has helped cover temporary housing and connected them with additional recovery resources.
“We just had to advocate for ourselves,” Weldin said of last year’s recovery. “Now it’s better organized this time.”
Although their elevated home avoided major damage during this month’s flooding, many of their neighbors were flooded again.
“I had a flashback of what happened,” Weldin said. “I see myself in them being in that situation.”
Weldin hopes people continue giving despite this year’s flood receiving less national attention.
“There are organizations that are really out there helping,” she said. “Please help us again.”
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