AUSTIN, Texas — A year after floodwaters tore through Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend, the damage is still measured in lives lost, families forever changed, homes not yet rebuilt, and questions still unanswered. From Kerr County to Sandy Creek, the floods swallowed roads, homes, cabins and camps in minutes. More than 130 people were killed across the region.
CBS Austin’s special newscast, “Rising Waters: One Year After the Floods,” looks at where recovery stands across the Hill Country and Central Texas, and what still needs to change before the next major flood. The special aired Friday at 6:30 p.m. on CBS Austin, and was followed by a Sinclair “You Voice. Your Future.” town hall that streamed at 7 p.m.
KERR COUNTY
In Kerr County alone, 119 people lost their lives when the Guadalupe River surged with rainwater, destroying nearly everything in its path. Two families are still waiting for answers: 8-year-old Cecilia “Cile” Steward, a Camp Mystic camper, and 63-year-old Jeffrey Ramsey, a father from Lewisville, remain missing.
When weather and water allow, divers and volunteers still return to search, hoping to bring closure to their families.
William Whitson, with the long-term recovery group Kerr Together, said that the search effort has been unlike anything he has seen in more than a decade of disaster response. “They will not quit until the mission is done,” Whitson said. Whitson said the organization has been working with the state, and it’ll be the governor’s call when to stop recovery efforts.
Gov. Greg Abbott was not available for an interview ahead of the anniversary, but said in a statement to CBS Austin, “We honor every life lost and continue to pray for the families still waiting for answers.”
For Alicia and Harry Baker, the riverbank in Kerr County is now both a place of memory and unbearable loss. They lost their 11-year-old daughter, Emmy, and Alicia’s parents in the flood. A year later, only a concrete slab and a memorial heart remain where the family cabin once stood. Alicia said that Emmy had two fears: storms and being left alone. That thought still haunts her.
Emmy, her parents said, was smart, confident and unforgettable — a child who could talk to anyone. “The best word to describe her is firecracker,” Harry Baker said. Using Emmy’s ashes, Alicia had a memorial diamond made, one she now wears over her heart. “My plan is that I just never take it off,” Alicia said. “I can always have her with me. She’ll never be alone.” Alicia worked with Kerrville-based Eterneva to create the memorial diamond to carry Emmy forever.
NORTHWEST TRAVIS COUNTY
Sandy Creek residents are still fighting to rebuild. The floods that struck overnight from July 4 to July 5 killed 10 people in the area.
Ashlee Willis, who lives with her family on a Sandy Creek property, told CBS Austin that surviving the storm was only the beginning. “Surviving the storm was the easiest thing ever. It was horrifying, but it was three hours,” she said.
A year later, she said that insurance disputes, new permitting requirements, and the lack of a road strong enough for construction vehicles have delayed rebuilding.
Her mother, Brandy Gerstner, has lived on the property for 36 years. “It was 36 years of blood, sweat and tears to build this place,” she told CBS Austin. “In one night everything’s gone,” Willis said. Sandy Creek rose up to 40 feet, destroying a lifetime of memories. When temporary gravel repairs washed away again before a permanent fix, Willis said, “A year later, it’s very clear we are not a priority.”
Travis County Judge Andy Brown told CBS Austin that the repair process had taken “too long,” citing purchasing, county attorney agreements, and formal bidding requirements.
Less than a week after that interview, Willis sent CBS Austin photos showing the county back in Sandy Creek working on the road she calls the gateway to rebuilding her family’s life.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY
In Williamson County, leaders say the flood’s impact is still being felt. Three people died there, RV parks were badly damaged, and many people lost homes.
County Judge Steven Snell said the county has focused on communication and preparedness over the past year, including exploring improved alert systems along rivers.
INGREDIENTS OF A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME STORM
Meteorologist Avery Tomasco explained that the disaster began with a dangerous combination: the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry and the terrain of Flash Flood Alley.
Barry made landfall in Mexico on June 29, 2025. Its remnants later moved up the Rio Grande, turned into Central Texas, and became trapped between two areas of high pressure. In a tropical atmosphere, storms can produce “rain bombs” of 10 to 20 inches. In the Hill Country, shallow soil, bedrock, and steep terrain turn that rainfall into rapid runoff, quickly filling creeks and rivers.
The flood also tested Central Texas’ dam system. Meteorologist Michael Crowley said that 28 million gallons per minute flowed into the Colorado River from the San Saba, putting the Highland Lakes dams to work.
Lake Buchanan filled to capacity, prompting floodgate operations for the first time since 2019. The water flowed through Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, and Lake Marble Falls before reaching Lake Travis, which was 37 feet below normal at the time. Lake Travis rose nearly 40 feet in two weeks, reversing drought concerns even as the source of that water was catastrophic and heartbreaking. CBS Austin reported in the immediate aftermath that Lake Travis had already risen by more than 21 feet by July 8, 2025, as storm runoff continued to move downstream.
WHAT’S CHANGED? WHAT HASN’T?
The tragedy also led to changes in Texas law. Lawmakers passed new flood warning and summer camp safety requirements, including outdoor warning systems, emergency plans, drills and restrictions on cabins in designated floodplains.
Camp Mystic remains at the center of that conversation. A state investigative report found the camp lacked required written emergency plans, failed to evacuate campers in time and had chaotic reunification efforts after the flood. The camp later withdrew its application to reopen for summer 2026 and has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid lawsuits from victims’ families.
Some camp operators have pushed back on parts of the new law, including a fiber optic internet requirement that state health officials partially waived for the 2026 season. Lawmakers are expected to revisit camp safety in the 2027 legislative session.
WHAT’S NEXT?
One year later, progress is visible in some places. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country reported that 228 flood-affected households are either in permanent housing or on a pathway toward it, including 130 already in permanent housing. The foundation said the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund has raised more than $150 million and distributed $82 million across Kerr County and the Hill Country.
But recovery is not finished. Families are still grieving. Survivors are still rebuilding. Communities are still asking whether warnings, roads, emergency plans and laws will be strong enough the next time the water rises.
CBS Austin will continue to follow the recovery, ask the questions families still have and hold leaders accountable as Central Texas rebuilds and prepares for the future.
YOUR VOICE. YOUR FUTURE.
Ahead of the anniversary, CBS Austin hosted a town hall, led by Walt Maciborski and Chief Meteorologist Chikage Windler, that brought together State Rep. Wes Virdell, who represents Kerr County, Jenee Lambertson with Rebuild Sandy Creek, and Bruce Clements, director of the Williamson County Office of Emergency Management. They discussed recovery, weather warnings, rebuilding, summer camps, and what still needs to be addressed before Texas’ next devastating flood.
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