JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
In the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, a wall of water devastated Texas' Hill Country. One year later, Houston Public Media's Sarah Grunau spoke with residents who are still grappling with the devastation and wondering if they're better prepared for potential future funding - flooding.
SARAH GRUNAU, BYLINE: It's been nearly a year since the Guadalupe River crested 26 feet in just a few hours, swept up houses and youth camps and killed at least 130 people in communities on its banks. Here in Kerrville, some residents say they're still rebuilding their lives. Stuart Gross, a local code enforcement officer, said his home was spared, but he lost neighbors, and his mind is set on moving forward.
STUART GROSS: It's going to go away. One of these days, it'll all just - we'll sit around and talk about the flood of 2025, just like we talk about the flood of 1978 and the flood of '82 and the one in '97 and on and on and on.
GRUNAU: Along the river banks, trees are still warped, and cement slabs where RVs once stood are still there. But residents have moved out, and some died in the floods. Stuart is spearheading a local ordinance to remove RV parks from the regulatory floodway, land adjacent to the river that must comply with certain FEMA flood risk regulations. At least eight sirens have been installed along the river near youth camps in compliance with state legislation that passed last year. One of the tragedies that gripped the nation during last year's flood was the destruction of Camp Mystic, an all-girls youth camp where 25 campers and two counselors died. That's why, Stuart says, stricter regulations are needed to prevent another catastrophe.
GROSS: You know, it's not about Camp Mystic. It's about everybody who lives on this river.
GRUNAU: Local officials have also created a new flood warning committee to improve communications between emergency coordinators. Kerrville Fire Chief Eric Maloney says plans for improved communications and protocols are still in the works.
ERIC MALONEY: It seems easy, but there's a lot of factors that kind of go into that. We've had lots of National Weather Service alerts for flood watch and flood warnings, and so how do we balance that?
GRUNAU: Maloney says he hopes that these measures are in place soon to prevent another catastrophic flood. This is the time of the year when thousands of people visit communities along the Guadalupe River in what's known as Flash Flood Alley. Some are turning their focus onto the resilience of this Texas community, like Fred Schremp, a local religious leader.
FRED SCHREMP: People are now coming to grips with what happened, and they can now share their stories. And those - in sharing those stories, there's going to be healing 'cause if you hold that in, you can't.
GRUNAU: Schremp's organization owns a community garden where the names of the victims will be printed on bronze plaques, and a 20-foot cross will eventually be built. The memorial was dedicated today. He says it's intended to be a place for this community to remember the lives lost in the flood. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Grunau in Kerrville, Texas. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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