Today, we gathered to celebrate a new beginning for Danny and Valerie Mares as they stepped into their new home after the devastation of the July 4 flood. Joining the welcome home blessing were Tara LaMontia with HPS, case manager Margaret White (Community Foundation/HPS), and representatives from TSAHC.
Valerie shared how their story began around 2:30 a.m. on July 4, when a loud knock on the door shattered the quiet of the night. A firefighter—who was also one of the property owners nearby—warned them to get out immediately. They quickly threw on clothes, rushed outside, and found water already rising around them. Danny got into the truck, Valerie into her car, and they made their way toward the road. What could have become a deadly obstacle instead became an unexpected mercy: a gate that was normally padlocked had been left open because property owners were on site for the holiday weekend. Had that gate remained locked, escape would have been far more difficult.
Even after reaching the road, danger surrounded them. Valerie described lightning flashing like a strobe light, the only illumination in the darkness. Water poured down the hillside and across the roadway, while boulders and debris blocked their path. At one point, she froze when a massive rock stood directly in front of her car. Danny came to her window and urged her forward: “You’ve got to go. Just drive over it.” Trusting his words, she pressed on, and together they reached higher ground where they remained with others until daylight.
When morning came, they could see the scale of the disaster unfolding around them. Emergency vehicles streamed through Hunt as residents fled and responders rushed in to save lives. Though their home had been raised, the floodwaters still entered, destroying many of their belongings. Like so many survivors, they faced the painful work of starting over.
Yet Valerie’s story is not only about loss—it is about grace, provision, and the kindness of a community. She spoke with deep gratitude about the help she received from case managers, nonprofit partners, family, and strangers. She said the H-E-B gift cards meant more than anyone could know. Without a kitchen or a way to cook, those cards provided ready meals and daily necessities. Even after they were spent, she kept every single one as a reminder of life-giving help in the middle of chaos. They held no financial value anymore, but to her, they were priceless.
She also recalled the moment Leslie Robertson told her they qualified for down payment assistance. Valerie could hardly believe it. But step by step, a pathway opened. She and Danny chose to live wisely below what they were approved for, focusing not on excess, but on stability and stewardship.
“I don’t want to say that all this has been easy, but it sure hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be, because so many people surrounded us with help. The help kept arriving just at the time when we needed it to. We have been so blessed!” – Valerie Mares
There were even moments of humor in the hardship. After the flood, Valerie’s car developed a terrible smell. She took it to the Wash Tub for detailing, where employees discovered the source: a perch lodged under the hood. Once they heard her story, they gave her a generous discount. Then at Crenwelge Motors in Kerrville, staff replaced hoses, filters, and other damaged parts free of charge when they learned what she had endured. Time and again, help arrived exactly when it was needed.
One of the most touching symbols of Valerie’s resilience was the blue shirt she wore during the first difficult days after the flood. She said she had it on for nearly three days straight in the aftermath. Later, she chose to wear that same shirt to the closing of their new home. She did not want it to carry only painful memories—she wanted it to hold joyful ones too. That simple act said everything about her spirit: determined, hopeful, and unwilling to let tragedy have the final word.
As we stood together in their new home today, offering prayers of blessing, presenting an H-E-B gift card, basket and Bible, and asking for God’s peace to rest within these walls, it was clear this moment represented far more than a house. It represented every person who showed up, every hand extended, every prayer offered, and every act of generosity that helped Danny and Valerie move forward.
Now, this home will become the place where new memories are made—and where hope, hard-won and deeply cherished, will continue to grow.
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