07/12/2025
This Is Our Hometown.
Reflections from a Kerrville family after the flood.
Kerrville, Texas was our home for 12 years, and we still have a house there. Our kids grew up in that town—two graduated from Tivy, one from Schreiner. Band, ROTC, Scouts, church, Hill Country Youth Orchestra—you name it, we were part of it. Donn and I have worked with countless local families through our jobs. We weren’t just residents—we were rooted in this community.
The images this week have been heartbreaking. Our hometown is hurting, grieving, and in many places, unrecognizable. The landscape has literally changed.
Some are already asking, “Why did the leaders let this happen?” But unless you’ve stood in Louise Hays Park and truly seen the scale of it, it’s hard to comprehend. The bridge rises 40 feet above the river—and the water came within just a few feet of it. Floodwaters reached the hospital half a mile away, and that ground sits above the park.
Picture a 4-story building—that’s how high the water surged. It had to be that powerful to cause the level of devastation and loss we’re now facing.
We’ve stood on the Camp Mystic property. We’ve driven the winding road from Hunt to Kerrville more times than I can count. That night, the water rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes near Hunt. Knowing that area, I can tell you—the road in and out was swallowed quickly. A 37-foot wall of water came through. No one had time.
I’ve read the stories—families saying goodbye on the phone as the water rose too fast to escape.
Now is not the time for blame.
Now is the time for prayer. For holding your children tighter. For hugging your spouse because you still can.
It’s time to honor the lives lost—and hold space for those who are still in survival mode.
There will be time for questions and planning.
But today, Kerrville needs compassion, not criticism.
💔 Hug your people.
🙏🏼 Be grateful they’re here.
Because some families in our hometown won’t get that chance again.
— With love from one Kerrville family
