u/Possible_Pen_5844

I’m going to say the quiet part out loud. The destruction from the flood this summer is beyond comprehension. The need for volunteers has never been greater. Currently, as I type, there are multiple families still sleeping on wet mattresses, in homes broken by water and covered in mud & mold.

The list of people needing help is endless, the needs are plenty, the desperation is overwhelming.

This flood caused 10x’s more damage to the people of Kerr County compared to last summer. But….crickets from the news, crickets from the media, crickets from the big named volunteer groups doing their best to use the few helpers they have available.

This flood messes with the narrative that the media has force fed us since last summer. This flood doesn’t have any business or family to blame. This flood shows just how unpredictable floods are and how being miles from a floodplain is still just as potentially dangerous during a storm.

So many of the homes destroyed this summer were miles away from the river, high in the hills, too far from water to even qualify to purchase flood insurance. These homes were in the exact “safe” locations that were continually mentioned throughout the year in documentaries, interviews, and even legislative hearings.

Now the news has lost the edge of their narrative. And instead of helping the community they have made millions off of by putting them in headlines over the past year, they ignore them. They don’t have reporters on the ground, they aren’t showing the stories of families who are desperately needing help. Nothing.

The media used and abused the Kerr County community over the past year. They took the punches. Now this same community, who was forgotten last summer as they grieved 119 souls lost to the river, is now being forgotten again. Kerr County has 1,500 forgotten homes. That’s thousands of people, children, parents, grandparents. Kerr County is a known retirement area. So many of those who flooded this summer are physically unable to work on their homes.

These majority of these homes and businesses didn’t have flood insurance, not out of improper planning, but they weren’t allowed to purchase it based on their proximity to waterways…

These people need help! Today I was in a store in town and ran into 3 separate friends. All flooded, all felt grateful that they didn’t have it as bad as others. They at least had their homes drying out, no Sheetrock, but at least no mold.

Personally, I’ve stayed silent. Feeling guilty for having the skills and ability to muck and gut our own home. We had Sheetrock removed and walls drying a week after the flood. Today our house is still drying out, waiting for one of the multiple tradesmen we’ve contacted to get back to us to tape and float. We are the “lucky” ones who have a dry house. No walls, floors, or cabinets, but we can at least throw a few air mattresses on the floor once we’ve exhausted our Airbnb budget.

No one knows when they will be able to find someone to help. There are some wonderful helpers, there are just so few!!! . People can’t even find people to pay to help. Churches and organizations are generously giving money, but don’t have manpower or volunteers who are able to help with actual needs. It’s a disaster that is no where close to being contained.

The news is silent. These people need help. This needs to be shared!! We are exhausted and need a hand.

Over 1,200 homes flooded in this Kerr County Flood. Help is desperately needed, supplies are needed, meals are needed.

Volunteers & Supplies are still Desperately Needed!!!

Please consider donating to the Found- Project, the donations go directly from your donation, to a purchase at the store, and directly into the hands of those in need. Receipts are posted daily, as well as donation amounts.

This is the best way to directly help the people of Kerr County!

https://wwwx.found-project.com/donate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Release #20 THE STORM AFTER THE STORM: I’m Gonna Have to Sit Alone With That

A Statement by the President & CEO of Texas Lions Camp Inc.

July 19, 2026 [Kerrville, Texas] – In an interview I granted not long ago with a reporter from The Hill Country Community Journal, I pointed out that one of the new safety features installed at Texas Lions Camp following the 2025 flood - I can’t believe I’m having to differentiate it by date now - is the addition of River Sentry flood alerts.

Her question?

“How much did they cost?”

My response:

“I know how much they cost, but they didn’t cost Texas Lions Camp anything. Both the hardware and installation were a gift.”

Naturally, she pressed.

“Who?”

I responded, “It’s not for me to disclose, and while I won’t betray the confidence of the person who told me, I will say this: I think everyone would be surprised to learn who made the donation possible.”

WHAT I DIDN’T SAY

Months earlier, I had sat down with Joe Swann of River Sentry to let him know I had selected their company to provide TLC’s early warning system.

We discussed every imaginable detail, an exercise I call “Answering the Adverbs”: who, what, where, when, how, how many - except one - how much?

That struck me as odd.

After we had finished talking through everything else, including his intention to begin installation on the following Monday, I finally asked what had been gnawing at me.

“So…how much is this going to cost, and how much do you need for a deposit?”

Joe looked back at me, almost surprised.

“I thought you knew. These systems are being installed at no charge at any Hill Country camp that orders them as a result of funding and an effort led by the Eastlands at Camp Mystic.”

I locked eyes with him and let the silence hang in the air. Neither of us spoke.

That one sentence hit me like a ton of bricks and, in an instant, changed everything I thought I knew.

As my eyes welled, I simply said:

“I’m gonna have to sit alone with that and weigh it when there’s time.”

You see, I know all too well my own internal dialogue when I’m attacked, starting with the fact that I straight up like to fight. With that one revelation, I was confronted with something entirely different.

Quiet grace. Character. The kind of generosity that seeks no recognition and expects nothing in return.

The kind of giving Christ spoke of when He said not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Frankly, it unsettled me.

Because here was a family whose camp had become the face of an unimaginable tragedy. A family carrying a burden few of us can comprehend. Yet instead of withdrawing into bitterness or asking who deserved their help…they quietly helped make other camps safer.

Including mine.

They didn’t ask whether I had defended them. They didn’t ask whether we were competitors.

They simply helped protect children they would never meet.

WHY AM I DISCLOSING THIS NOW

I feel comfortable disclosing this now because the source has now publicly disclosed it. And, because it saved lives.

And because I think it’s time the rest of us wrestle with what it says.

Not about Camp Mystic.

About us. About grace. About character. About what we choose to do after we’ve been wounded.

Some stories end with answers. This one didn’t and now there’s yet another open-ended chapter. It’s left me in limbo, still grieving, still grappling, and still wrestling…and,

“I’m gonna have to sit alone with that and weigh it when there’s time.”

Links to the press release are in the comments below. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

###

Lions of Texas | Kerr County, Texas | Kerrville News | Kerrville Tx Community Group | C.A.M.P. Camping Association for Mutual Progress | The Kerrville Daily Times | The Kerr County Lead | Wes Virdell for Texas | State Representative Brooks Landgraf | Kerr Economic Development Corporation

#WeServe | #kerrstrong

🚨 KERR COUNTY FLOOD EMERGENCY — MAJOR UPDATE 🚨
The City of Kerrville has declared a local disaster. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. has formally requested state and federal assistance from Gov. Abbott, saying damage is beyond the city's ability to recover from alone.
The river has come down some from this morning's crest but is still dangerous. We're in a lull in the rain — NOT the all-clear. More heavy rain is expected tonight into Friday.
🚨 EVACUATE if you're along Quinlan Creek. Everyone else in Kerrville: SHELTER IN PLACE.
⚡ POWER: KPUB now reports more than 2,500 customers without power across 98 active outages — up sharply from earlier this morning.
🌉 BRIDGES DOWN / WASHED OUT:

Sidney Baker St. Bridge — closed (recovery barge from the Steward/Ramsey search wedged underneath)
Anderson Ranch Bridge (Junction Hwy) — washed out
Ingram Hills Road Bridge — washed out
Henderson Branch Bridge (Bandera Hwy/173) — washed out
Main St. & Water St. bridges — covered in debris after Town Creek overtopped them
Highway 39 Bridge (900 block) — severe washout, TxDOT plated it temporarily
480 Bridge, Center Point — rose 3–4 ft in under 45 minutes; 4 ft of water over 480/Hwy 27 intersection

🛑 MAJOR ROADS BLOCKED OR IMPASSABLE:

I-10 closed
Highway 27: closed Ingram–Mountain Home; also flooded/impassable at Silver Creek and near Boardwalk (2.5–3 ft of water)
Highway 39: mudslide/debris blocking lanes near Hunter House Inn
Medina Highway closed, Upper Turtle Creek to Medina
Center Point: River Road, Sutherland Road, Rancho Road, Indian Creek Road, Spur 100, Old Harper Highway all flooded or impassable
Arcadia — completely blocked, buildings floated into the roadway
5th Street — washed away

🚁 ACTIVE RESCUES underway per radio traffic monitored by The Lead: attic rescues (including one requiring a chainsaw through a roof), tree rescues, and mass evacuations along Paradise Avenue, River Run RV Park, and Herman Sons Road. Crews from Kerr County SO, Fire Command, Game Wardens, and volunteer departments from Ingram, Comfort, and Junction are all engaged.
📍 Center Point: flooding at the post office is one of the clearest signs this event may be exceeding July 4, 2025 here.
🏠 Evacuation center & staging ground: City West Church, Ingram
🏥 Peterson Health clinics and urgent care are closed today, per Peterson Health.
🚫 Also closed today: City Hall, Butt-Holdsworth Library, Development Services, 216th District Court, MHDD outpatient centers, Dietert Center, Art Camp at KACC, KPUB lobby/drive-thru. Ingram ISD: no class, activities continuing.
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Call 911 for life-threatening emergencies only.
We will update as we know more. — The Kerr County Lead

This article does not minimize Ruskan’s importance or heroism during the flood, it simply brings to light how quickly the media can manipulate a narrative.

https://www.oig.doc.gov/wp-content/OIGPublications/OIG-26-017-I-SECURED.pdf?fbclid=IwdGRjcARaSaFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEePhA4eANNPmn3F-YTSdjDKh-ybiQg1qy2RqvwWdK88SAXvmT0hCfzd01f5ns\_aem\_au3b21fDwhuV69pZ92SGrQ

https://www.oig.doc.gov/wp-content/OIGPublications/OIG-26-017-I-SECURED.pdf?fbclid=IwdGRleARaSP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEePhA4eANNPmn3F-YTSdjDKh-ybiQg1qy2RqvwWdK88SAXvmT0hCfzd01f5ns\_aem\_au3b21fDwhuV69pZ92SGrQ