Guadalupe River flood: How to help and how to find help

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Editor's note: TPR's special coverage of the floods is now centralized in a special blog from The Texas Newsroom.

Dozens of adults and children have died in the Guadalupe River floods. Survivors need to find out how to rebuild their lives. People from throughout the region, the state and the nation are eager to assist them in some way. Here is some guidance for both people who need help and those who want to help.

Sending money

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is collecting monetary donations for The Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to support relief and rebuilding efforts.

Collected donations will be distributed to vetted local nonprofit organizations providing rescue, relief, and recovery efforts. The fund will support the communities of Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, and Comfort.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said the city needs to focus and coordinate volunteers. People who want to volunteer for search and rescue efforts first register with the Salvation Army.

People can register to volunteer at 830-465-4797.

Is Bexar County helping?

In a statement on Tuesday, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai explained that he spoke to Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly and to relief agencies.

Based on those discussions, he learned that non-perishable items are no longer needed as much as before. So he encouraged everyone in Bexar County to donate money.

“We want to do what is most needed for the victims of this tragedy, and at this point, we are being told that financial assistance is the priority,” Sakai said, as quote in the statement. “We don’t want to contribute to a ‘crisis within a crisis,’ and that would be donating items from well-intentioned people to a community that has no place to store those items.”

Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark has started a gift-card program. Her office will collect the cards and distribute them "to deserving organizations and individuals."

Other options for monetary donations include:

• Kerr County Relief Fund (for rescue, relief and recovery efforts)
• Salvation Army of Kerrville (for human needs, shelter, supplies)
• Red Cross of Central and South Texas (for food, supplies, shelter, mental health support)
• Mercy Chefs (for meals for first responders)
• TEXSAR (for search and rescue)      

Bexar County

Charity shopping, accommodations and food

The Ranch Motel at 3101 Broadway offers rooms discounted to $85 per night "to anyone living in the Counties of Comal, Kendall, and Kerr that are looking for a place to lay their heads. We are a small property so we ask that you only inquire if you live in the most severally affected areas and are in need of overnight accommodations." More information here.

San Antonio's The Dogfather is "offering the Heart of Texas — a hot dog topped with queso, tortilla strips, crema, guac, housemade pico, and a heart-shaped tortilla chip — with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund." A vegan version is also available. The two locations are 6211 San Pedro Ave. and 13032 Nacogdoches Rd. More information here.

The El Mirasol restaurant will make matching donations when its diners elect to make a donation when they eat at Napa Oaks location. More information here.

Are there any more donation drives or drop off sites in San Antonio?

There are multiple businesses accepting hygiene products, non-perishables and other items. However, the organizations working together said that "no additional in-kind donations (clothing, food, supplies) are needed in Kerrville." They said the best way to help is with monetary donations.

What are the other ways victims are getting help?

• Employment: Workforce Solutions Alamo said it would extend the hours at its Kerrville Career Center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to help people in the affected by the floods. It would offer wifi access, guidance on unemployment benefits, assistance for childcare providers, and job search and job placement services, among other services. More information here.
• Toyota: Toyota Motor North America said in a statement that it contributed more than $600,000 to help people affected by the Guadalupe River floods and the Central Texas floods, in part through the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Its U.S. team members, including those at the San Antonio manufacturing plant, will also double their contributions to disaster relief. It added that it would also offer payment relief to affected customers. More information was available at Toyota Financial Services at 800-874-8822 or at its website. Lexus Financial Services customers can call 800-874-7050 or check its website.
• The NBA: The San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and the NBA Players Association will provide more than $2 million to support immediate and long-term relief to those most impacted.
• Medical support: Americares said in a statement that it deployed an emergency response team to Kerrville to "help restore access to health services and address the most urgent health needs in affected communities." It aims to provide health care to survivors and support health workers and first responders. It will also contribute medical supplies. More information available here.
• Medical equipment: Project Mend, which restores medical equipment for reuse, will provide wheelchairs, scooters, hospital beds, walkers and rollators to people affected by the floods. Find more information on its website or call 210-429-4057.
• Spina bifida needs: Spina Bifida Texas said it has supplies ready for families in need of incontinence supplies. Email office@sbtx.org to pick up supplies or have them delivered to you. For people who'd like to volunteer to deliver supplies, they may use the same email address. More information here.
• Fundraisers: GoFundMe, the popular crowdfunding website, has a list of verified fundraisers for Kerrville-area flood victims. GoFundMe said it will add to the list as it's able to verify requests. Under “Texas flood relief,” you can search for fundraisers by location.
• Tech support: AT&T and the non-profit Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) have deployed its 40-foot Mobile Connectivity Center (MCC). This connectivity resource is free to the public and will further support those affected by the floods with access to Wi-Fi, 16 computers, and facilities to charge their devices. It is staffed by AT&T employee volunteers and ITDRC. The MCC will be at Schreiner University, located at 2100 Memorial Blvd, in Kerrville, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. AT&T said on Tuesday that it contributed $200,000 to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to support emergency relief efforts. It added that it was also matching employee charitable contributions.

Can people donate blood?

Donating blood is a simple act that’s always in demand — especially in emergency situations. View locations and schedules here.

How to help pets?

San Antonio Pets Alive is also gathering monetary donations for pets in the Kerrville area. It also needs work gloves and surgical gloves, pet wipes, and storage totes. Review the entire list at its Facebook page.

Austin Pets Alive is also rescuing dozens of pets from Kerr and Williamson counties. Learn more about volunteering and temporarily fostering animals here.

Footbridge Foundation is helping to relocate pets and supporting shelters with animal care. It is also arranging short-term foster care plans. More information here.

How is the federal government helping?

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Tuesday that a 90-day foreclosure moratorium on Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured single family mortgages in Kerr County was in effect as of the Trump administration's disaster declaration date.

HUD explained in a statement that there "are more than 900 FHA-insured mortgages in the Kerr County Presidentially Declared Major Disaster Area (PDMDA). HUD is working with mortgage servicers and others to assess the extent of the damage and destruction to properties with FHA-insured mortgages in the designated area."

The moratorium will prevent mortgage services from taking any foreclosure action on houses in this category. More guidance on next steps was available here.

Environment & Natural Resources

FEMA offers financial aid, insurance tips to Kerr County residents affected by Guadalupe River floods

TPR Staff

It explained that 'Survivors with homeowners, renters’ or flood insurance should file a claim first. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your damage expenses, you may then be eligible for federal assistance.'

Is Kerrville accepting more volunteers?

Kerrville officials invited the public to monitor the city's Facebook page for the latest developments from that area.

Officials also issued guidance to the public regarding offers of assistance:

"We have had many offers of volunteer support. At this time, we have all the resources we need. We are compiling a volunteer list if and when we need to call on volunteers. Salvation Army Kerrville is the point of contact for that volunteer database. Go to tcr.communityos.org or call 830-465-4797. We do not need food or water donations at this time. Monetary donations can be made at the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country."

Looking for a loved one?

Kerrville officials said that "if you have a missing person, email kerrvillemissing@dps.texas.gov with the name and description of the missing person. You can also provide photos to aid in identification."

People can also call 830-465-4794.

Authorities also advised people to call the Red Cross at 800-733-2767 if they are trying to locate a loved one.

Where are the shelters?

Shelters for those displaced by the flooding have been set up in Kerrville at these locations:

• Medical shelter at First United Methodist Church, 321 Thompson Dr., Kerrville
• Congregate shelter at Calvary Temple Church, 3000 Loop 534, Kerrville
• Notre Dame Catholic Church, 929 Main Street, Kerrville
• Schreiner University Event Center, 2100 Memorial Blvd., Kerrville

From the HEButt Foundation:
When disaster strikes, it’s hard to know what to say or do. It’s even harder to explain to children.

Join us this Thursday for a special webinar with disaster psychologist Dr. Jamie Aten, founder of Spiritual First Aid. Learn how to care for children emotionally and spiritually after traumatic events—like the recent floods that affected the camping community.

You can register at this link.

Where are the reunification centers?

• For campers: Your reunification center is at Ingram Elementary School, 125 Brave Run W, Ingram
• For non-campers: Your reunification center is at Arcadia Live Theater, 717 Water St., Kerrville

KUT's Andy Jechow contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story listed the wrong location for the camper reunification center. That is at Ingram Elementary School.

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