Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
It’s been a month since Kerr County’s catastrophic flood. TPR's Jack Morgan toured the region and prepared this report on the state of the recovery effort at this moment.
On Kerrville’s Water Street downtown there’s a cyclone fence that runs about a city block. That fence has become a memorial wall. Hundreds of flower bouquets, t-shirts from youth camps between Ingram and Hunt, and photos — photos of the dozens of people who died. At least two people are still missing.
I spoke with a man who only wanted to give his first name, Steve. He didn’t lose anything in the flood, but he was awake for it all.
“[It was] 3:30 in the morning. I knew it was raining hard. Me and my dog were up. And it's hard to think that people were going down that river. You know, kids were dying,” he said.
His voice cracked with emotion throughout the interview.
“That day of the flood, the morning, it was like, none of us were [politically] red or blue. We were just all Americans. And it was an amazing thing,” he said.
I asked him if there was anything in particular on the memorial wall that got to him.
“The girls from Camp Mystic. It was really hard, because I have two daughters, and I can only imagine what they must have felt, how scared they were to be in that water,” he explained.
Julia, who lives in Seguin, was also at the memorial. She came back from a funeral for her father.
“I was coming back from his memorial service yesterday in New Mexico, and I was drawn to the area. I already had plans to stop here before I even took the trip out,” she said.
As the interview wound down, it began to rain, and I told her I would let her get out of the rain. She declined, suggesting those lost in this tragedy were far more important than her discomfort.
“Yeah, it was just kind of that washing away the tears,” Julia said.
The next person I spoke to, Jess, had been slowly moving along the memorial, reading every notice. When she spoke, it was surprising.
“I grew up in England. I now live in Missouri, and I've been doing disaster relief for the last 15 years,” she said.
Jess said she worked for an organization called All Hands and Hearts, and she was here to help. We wondered if going to the site of natural disasters with regularity was overwhelming work.
“It would be, but I get to see the best of humanity in the darkest times. I work with volunteers who have come from around the country and around the world to help a community they don't know, for no reason, for no money, other than that they saw it on the TV, and they thought, people could use a helping hand. And so I am honored to get to be a part of that,” she explained.
Driving a bit further I saw a sign that read "Emotional Support Here."
“I'm Kelsi Wilmot, director of community relations and the public information officer. This is our emotional support center, and it is located at 819 Water Street. It is a free service for anyone impacted by the flood to come in, have a safe space to talk,” she said.
She works for the Hill Country Mental Health Development Disability Center. Kelsi didn’t lose her home, but she explained that even those who didn’t lose anything can easily suffer trauma.
“We grew up on the river. The river has been, least for me, something vital and just where all of my memories are made,” Wilmot said. "So it's been kind of strange having to redefine that relationship with the river as well.”
Realizing that the tranquil Guadalupe River she knows well could become a deadly wall of water is tough to process.
She added that her group has sent a van to Hunt to help with emotional support services there too.
“And then we one thing that we've started, too, is our mobile clinic. So in Hunt, we're offering free services as well.”
Jess said there is something everyone can do.
“Not everybody has the ability to come down here in person, but for those who are struggling right now to know that people around the country are holding them in prayer and sending their best wishes. It is an important thing that we can all do,” she said.
Over the past month, a substantial amount of cleanup has been done, but there are months of work left to do. While cleaning up debris and dealing with trauma are not the same endeavor, the need for assistance with both continues to be great.
