KERRVILLE, Texas — Dumpsters and work trucks are a common sight in the Texas Hill Country — even three months after another devastating flood hit the region a little over a year after the deadly flooding during Fourth of July weekend in 2025.
“This is like where the main cook is,” Taqueria Jalisco owner Perla Gonzalez said. “Where he does the beans, the rice, the sauces.”
There’s been no cooking inside Taqueria Jalisco’s kitchen for the last three months.
“It’s like starting from fresh,” Gonzalez said. “Like you don’t have anything.”
Gonzalez says she couldn’t believe that on July 16, 2026, the creek rose high enough to get inside the Kerrville restaurant.
“We walked inside, and we saw all the mess. Everything was upside down. Chairs, fridges were down there,” Gonzalez said. “There are times too when it’s very low … super low. It’s been dry at times too. I mean, we have seen it rise before, but maybe to right there at the trees.”
This is one of several businesses across the Texas Hill Country affected by the summer flooding. Kerr Together, a long-term recovery group, has connected them with organizations that have replaced about 70% of what was damaged in the flood.
“Nationwide, 40% of small businesses do not recover after a natural disaster, whether that be physical or financial damage,” said Kelly Hagemeier, executive director of Kerr Together. “So, we’ve put a lot of emphasis behind supporting our businesses last year, and we just followed that through to this year.”
Just as homeowners are being forced to start over, so too are business owners, a process most can’t manage alone.
“We’re up to 36 businesses currently, and we still have applications coming in,” said Conan Scott with Global Empowerment Mission, a group that has helped more than 1,200 Texas families with recovery since the flooding in 2025.
The group also provides materials to help local businesses get back to operation.
“They lost just about everything that was inside,” Scott said. “So, one of the first things that took a hit was all their equipment. Their proofing cabinets, their prep tables, their fridges. Countertops, beverage machines, all of that type of stuff was damaged irreparably. And so, we helped them replace all those items.”
To support flood-affected businesses, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country awarded the Lift Fund $5 million. Gonzalez was given a $50,000 grant for its rebuild.
As the sign outside says, Taqueria Jalisco has been a Kerrville staple since 1983.
“There’s people that have worked here 15 years, so this means a lot to everybody,” Gonzalez said. “The community, everybody comes … celebrates birthdays.”
For Gonzalez, this place is like home. It’s where she met her husband as a server, so, one day at a time, they’re getting closer to reopening.
“Normalcy, seeing everybody back in here,” she said. “See all the familiar faces. You know, every day there’s not one single day where I don’t hear, ‘We miss you so much.’”
Taqueria Jalisco is eager to get back to serving its community.
Editor’s Note: Taqueria Jalisco received a $50,000 grant, not a $500,000 grant, from LiftFund as a result of the Community Foundation’s $5M investment in LiftFund. (Oct. 21, 2026)
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