KERRVILLE, Texas – As floodwaters from the Guadalupe River begin to recede, the emotional and physical toll on Hill Country residents is only just beginning to show.
In neighborhoods just off Arcadia Loop in Kerrville and nearby Ingram, families and business owners are left cleaning up their homes and livelihoods without outside help.
Juan Campos and his family were asleep in their Kerrville home early July 4th morning when the river surged into their neighborhood.
Campos says it was his father who first heard the sound of their vehicle being pushed by the river’s current, scraping up the side of their home. That sound, he said, is what saved them.
“By the time we got to the vehicles the water was already by the front door,” Campos said. “We really couldn’t save much. We got as much as we could, ourselves included, and just hightailed it out of here.”
Four people were inside the home at the time, including a young child.
“I’m sure my little one was shaken up, but she was mostly tired,” he said. “That was really hectic. I’m just really happy everyone got out safe. My heart goes out to the ones that couldn’t make it out especially the ones that were camped out in Hunt.”
The Campos family has since relocated temporarily while cleanup continues. Their home, like many others nearby, is now lined with discarded furniture, soaked mattresses, and other debris turned to trash by the flooding.
Just down Highway 39 in Ingram, frustration is mounting at Riverside RV Park. The owner, who’s lived and worked in the area since 1983, originally declined to speak on camera, but as KPRC 2’s crew was packing up, he called them back to share what he’s seeing.
“These RVs were moved all over the place,” he said, pointing out units displaced by the water. “What we’ve got is… this guy’s living at Motel 6 right now. These people are at the Hunter House. He’s at a local hotel. She’s with relatives. But we’ve had not a soul come to us from the city.”
Despite the visible destruction and people displaced from their homes, the RV park owner says no one from local or state agencies has stopped by to check in.
“They’re good about talking about doing some stuff,” he added, “but we haven’t seen anything.”
He worries that his small corner of Ingram is being overlooked, even as emergency officials focus on other nearby communities.
“There’s no action going on here. Nothing. They need somebody to come and talk to them,” he said.
The owner and his family spent the past few days not only cleaning their businesses but also trying to help guests find temporary shelter—some are in hotels, others with family, and some may be in shelters.
“People are calling me, asking what to do. But I don’t have the answers,” he said.
