The peaceful Texas Hill Country town of Hunt, where the Guadalupe River splits and flows through rolling hills, was hit by a devastating storm. It was worse than most people thought it would be. From Thursday afternoon until the early hours of Friday, a storm system pounded the area severely. It rained more than seven inches, which is the most it has done since the early 1990s. The rain was so intense that the Guadalupe River rose swiftly, almost 29 feet high by morning. A lot of the folks who resided in Hunt had a strange and terrible night. This was the biggest deluge they had ever witnessed.
The town was better renowned for its summer camps and peaceful natural settings than for natural disasters. It was at the center of an issue that was rising swiftly. It was a shock to meteorologists and emergency planners how swiftly and strongly the storm got worse. Early projections predicted that there will be a lot of rain. Because it had rained previously, the ground couldn’t soak up any more water. The Guadalupe River suddenly got a lot bigger, and the creeks overflowed.
The National Weather Service alerted folks in central Texas on Thursday afternoon that there was a risk of flash floods and told them to keep vigilant and be ready. As the hours went by and the rain became harder, that watch quickly morphed into a series of flood warnings and emergency alerts. For a lot of people who lived in Hunt, the notifications were no longer just concepts. The water was rising quite swiftly. The roads that were dry before were flooded with water in just a few hours. People took away cars. Flooding or total destruction of homes along the riverbank, some of which had been there for generations.
People from Kerr County and other places were asked to help with the disaster. The problem was so big that it needed a lot of people to work together. Some of the 14 helicopters that were sent out came from the Texas Department of Public Safety, some from the National Guard, and some from adjacent counties. They had infrared gear to identify heat signatures in the dark, storm-damaged ground and rescue baskets. Search and rescue crews on the ground had their own challenges to contend with, such downed power lines, blocked roadways, mudslides, and the constant threat of getting stuck in rising water themselves.
Even though the conditions were dangerous, responders worked all night to find survivors. People were alleged to have held on to tree branches, flashed torches from rooftops, or utilized overturned furniture to stay afloat. The dark light of Friday morning made the damage evident. Floodwaters have covered whole neighborhoods around the river. There was a lot of trash on the banks, like wood from houses that had been torn down, twisted metal, kids’ toys, and shattered fences.
At a news conference in Kerrville at midday, Freeman F. Martin, the chief of the Texas Department of Public Safety, spoke quite honestly to the press. He said, “This is a very sad thing.” “We’re expecting a lot of deaths.” His words hit a community that was already in shock quite deeply. Officials hadn’t yet confirmed how many people were missing, but reports from others who were there and screams for help painted a bleak picture. There were still dozens of people missing, and rescuers couldn’t get to certain places at all since the bridges had washed away and the ground was too unstable.
As the crisis got worse, state and local leaders began to set up emergency shelters in nearby schools, churches, and community centers. People who offered gave blankets, food, and clean water. People can use the spaces of local businesses to store rescue gear or feed first responders. The community was deeply disturbed, but they came together in the only way they knew how: by making sure everyone stayed alive.
At the same time, meteorologists and hydrologists hurried to check out the information. The water level in this part of the Guadalupe River was 29.1 feet, which is the second-highest level ever measured. A flood decades ago that changed the course of history in the area was the only higher level. People who had lived there for a long time remembered the last flood and said they never thought they would see anything worse. Some individuals said it had come now.
Some of the people who lived through it told accounts that were hard to believe. A helicopter got a couple out of their attic only minutes before their house collapsed down. Hours after being swept away, a child was spotted safe on the riverbank. But there were also stories of loss. Some folks contacted but didn’t get an answer, and some neighbors are still missing. Families had to split up because of the chaos.
Finally, the rain has stopped, and the water is starting to go down in some spots. But the long road to recovery has only just begun. People who work for the utility company are trying to fix the power and clean the water. Roads need to be checked and cleared. Families are returning to what’s left of their houses. A lot of them just locate rubble or foundations. In only one night, several families lost everything they had.
The federal government is expecting states to declare disasters and ask for support in the next several days. Insurance agents, FEMA workers, and nonprofits that help people will all come to Hunt to help, assess, and award money to anybody who qualify. But for now, most people are just worrying about the basics: food, shelter, safety, and getting back together with their families.
This event has shown that even the safest towns can be hit hard by sudden and severe weather. It has also reminded the residents of Hunt and Texas as a whole how vital it is to be prepared, have a strong community, and be able to react quickly. Even if the numbers and damage reports are still coming in, one thing is clear: this flood will be remembered not only for the destruction it did, but also for how strong and kind people were after it.
Families are starting to put their lives back together, but Hunt still has a lot of problems to deal with. This town will rebuild, not because it has to, but because it won’t stop. People who work as first responders, volunteers, and regular people all show how determined they are. Hunt, Texas, will get through sadness, trouble, and coming together.
