Texas Hill Country Floods Damage Nearly 500 Properties

Catastrophic flooding has struck the Texas Hill Country for the second consecutive year, damaging nearly 500 homes and 100 businesses in Kerr County alone as communities still recovering from the deadly July 2025 floods face another devastating blow. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a major disaster declaration for at least 28 counties on July 17, unlocking federal assistance as residents begin the long process of cleanup and recovery, according to KUT/NPR.

The Scale of the Damage

State officials reported that approximately 490 homes and 100 businesses were damaged in Kerr County, with about 135 of those homes destroyed or sustaining major damage. In neighboring Kendall County, roughly 100 homes were also damaged. Statewide, about 600 homes and 100 businesses were affected across Kerr and Kendall counties combined, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.

The flooding followed 10 to 25 inches of rain that fell across Kerr, Kendall, and Gillespie counties over several days in mid-July, causing the Guadalupe River and its tributaries to surge. The Kerr County Courthouse received up to six feet of water and will be closed indefinitely, with repairs expected to take up to a year. A search-and-rescue barge from the 2025 debris operation broke loose and became wedged under the Sidney Baker Bridge, and 52 state-maintained roadways were affected in TxDOT’s San Antonio district.

A Dramatically Lower Death Toll

Despite the extensive damage, officials credit improved early warning systems for keeping the death toll at just two — a dramatic reduction from the more than 130 lives lost in the July 2025 floods, which included 119 deaths in Kerr County alone. The two confirmed fatalities were a Kerr County man whose mobile home was swept into Goat Creek and a driver in Uvalde County whose car was swept away on a flooded road.

“This time was different. We had a lot of alerts. Everyone was warning everyone,” Vinny Mifsud, a Kerrville night kayaking tour operator, told KUT/NPR. “We were able to get more people to safety, and that’s the main thing, saving lives. Our sirens, our officials warned everyone properly. They got the word out.”

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said the community “truly mourn[s] the one who we did lose” but called it “not bad” in comparison to last year’s toll of 119 in Kerr County alone.

Warning Systems That Saved Lives

In response to the 2025 disaster, Texas legislators appropriated $50 million to the Texas Water Development Board to install mandatory warning sirens in 30 counties. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority led the implementation of six new warning sirens in western Kerr County and a new dashboard to monitor rainfall and river levels. So far, only $1.25 million has been allocated to Kerr County, and more funding is expected to be needed to complete the system.

Gov. Abbott, who visited Kerrville on July 20 for a press conference, said officials reported that “sirens and warnings, they worked. They said early warning systems saved lives.” State agencies rescued more than 530 people across affected areas, deploying more than 2,700 personnel, 1,400 vehicles, and 115 boats, according to KSAT San Antonio.

Climate Context: A Growing Risk

While no single weather event can be directly attributed to climate change, scientists note that the conditions making extreme rainfall more likely are becoming more common. According to a 2024 report by the Office of the State Climatologist of Texas, the state has already seen up to a 15% increase in extreme rainstorms this century compared to the latter part of the last century. The report predicts a 20% increase in the frequency of those storms by 2036, potentially doubling the risk of floods from last century, as KUT/NPR reported.

“We’re not saying that our warming climate caused these floods this year, last year,” Shel Winkley, chief meteorologist at Climate Central, told Texas Public Radio. “But we understand how it’s making it more likely, more frequent.”

Warmer Gulf of Mexico waters — currently above average for July — contribute to more evaporation and moisture available for storms. Warmer air holds approximately 4% more moisture per degree Fahrenheit of warming.

Recovery and Ongoing Threats

The 2026 flood hit communities still recovering from the 2025 disaster. Infrastructure damage this year “far surpasses” last year’s, according to county officials. Many roads and bridges damaged in 2025 were damaged again before repairs could be completed.

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country launched the Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund covering 10 counties to support both immediate relief and long-term recovery, as reported by the San Antonio Report.

As of July 21, the Nueces River continues to pose flood risks downstream in Carrizo Springs, Cotulla, and Tilden. Additionally, Tropical Storm Bertha has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, adding uncertainty to the recovery efforts. Gov. Abbott signed a major disaster declaration for 28 counties on July 17, with the declaration sent to President Donald Trump to unlock federal assistance, according to KUT/NPR.

What to Watch For

As cleanup continues, several key questions remain: How much federal aid will be allocated? How will the state fund the completion of warning siren systems across all 30 mandated counties? And what long-term flood mitigation strategies will be implemented to protect against what scientists warn may become more frequent extreme weather events?

For now, residents of the Texas Hill Country are once again facing the arduous task of rebuilding — this time with the knowledge that the next flood may not be far away.