1 00:00:00,110 --> 00:00:02,369 Dominic Anthony Walsh: This is After the Flood, a podcast from The 2 00:00:02,369 --> 00:00:04,620 Texas Newsroom and PBS's Frontline. 3 00:00:04,750 --> 00:00:06,120 I'm Dominic Anthony Walsh. 4 00:00:06,430 --> 00:00:09,339 We had our fifth episode ready to go. 5 00:00:09,669 --> 00:00:12,409 We were going to look at how much more prepared the Texas Hill 6 00:00:12,430 --> 00:00:14,370 Country is for the next flood. 7 00:00:14,860 --> 00:00:17,839 But just as we were tying things up last week 8 00:00:18,430 --> 00:00:21,339 Reporter: Catastrophic flooding in Texas, at least two dead. 9 00:00:21,530 --> 00:00:23,049 Deadly flooding in Texas. 10 00:00:23,059 --> 00:00:26,149 More than two feet of rain, hundreds of water rescues 11 00:00:26,149 --> 00:00:28,259 reported, a bridge washed away. 12 00:00:28,379 --> 00:00:32,529 Texas declaring a major disaster after more catastrophic floods. 13 00:00:32,749 --> 00:00:36,969 Nearly a trillion gallons of rainwater falling in just days. 14 00:00:37,139 --> 00:00:39,669 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Another historic flood hit the Hill Country. 15 00:00:39,700 --> 00:00:43,679 Reporter: A, quote, "large and deadly flood wave is barreling down the Guadalupe 16 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,099 River," according to forecasters. 17 00:00:45,099 --> 00:00:49,309 That's the very same river that took so many lives last summer at Camp Mystic. 18 00:00:49,439 --> 00:00:52,389 Dominic Anthony Walsh: In some areas, the Guadalupe River rose 19 00:00:52,399 --> 00:00:55,510 even higher than it did in 2025. 20 00:00:55,930 --> 00:01:01,080 So far, we know that two people died and hundreds of homes, roads, and bridges in 21 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,769 Kerr County were damaged or destroyed. 22 00:01:04,269 --> 00:01:07,640 Still, there were a lot fewer deaths than last year. 23 00:01:07,940 --> 00:01:11,369 People this year told us they were more vigilant, and this 24 00:01:11,370 --> 00:01:13,959 was also a very different storm. 25 00:01:14,549 --> 00:01:18,960 And so this is not the episode we had originally planned for you. 26 00:01:19,129 --> 00:01:22,499 We had to shift gears and actually go back to Kerrville 27 00:01:22,549 --> 00:01:24,650 to report on this other flood. 28 00:01:25,049 --> 00:01:26,709 Were emergency officials ready? 29 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:28,490 Did new flood sirens work? 30 00:01:28,790 --> 00:01:31,000 Did residents get timely information? 31 00:01:31,439 --> 00:01:33,459 We'll be releasing that episode soon. 32 00:01:33,510 --> 00:01:36,519 In the meantime, here's a story from this most recent flood. 33 00:01:36,919 --> 00:01:40,289 My colleague, Lucio Vasquez, caught up with Bob Canales 34 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:42,099 and Lorena Guillen last week. 35 00:01:42,470 --> 00:01:45,189 They're the couple that owned the Blue Oak RV Park. 36 00:01:45,189 --> 00:01:45,909 911 Operator: Kerr County Sheriff's Office. 37 00:01:46,569 --> 00:01:48,869 Lorena Guillén: I'm here at the Blue Oak RV Park. 38 00:01:49,099 --> 00:01:51,009 Dominic Anthony Walsh: We heard from them back in episode one. 39 00:01:51,189 --> 00:01:53,640 Lorena Guillén: I have a few campers staying right next 40 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,279 to the ri- the Guadalupe. 41 00:01:55,279 --> 00:01:58,489 How bad is it, uh, the levels of the Guadalupe right now? 42 00:01:58,639 --> 00:01:59,739 911 Operator: We, we don't have, 43 00:01:59,889 --> 00:02:00,639 we don't have that 44 00:02:00,639 --> 00:02:01,459 information. 45 00:02:01,759 --> 00:02:04,139 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Lucio wanted to see how they were doing after 46 00:02:04,139 --> 00:02:06,299 going through yet another flood. 47 00:02:06,599 --> 00:02:07,049 Here's Lucio. 48 00:02:08,551 --> 00:02:11,212 Lucio Vasquez: The sound of honky-tonk music filled Howdy's Bar and 49 00:02:11,212 --> 00:02:13,112 Chill in Kerrville Thursday night. 50 00:02:13,191 --> 00:02:17,561 Behind the bar, owners Lorena Guillen and Bob Canales greeted customers by name. 51 00:02:17,682 --> 00:02:21,781 Outside, the wooden patio glistened after days of near constant rain. 52 00:02:21,941 --> 00:02:25,122 Just beyond it, the Guadalupe River churned through Kerr County. 53 00:02:25,261 --> 00:02:29,431 Lorena Guillén: Feels a little bit of deja vu being here again today and seeing 54 00:02:29,552 --> 00:02:32,561 the river the same way it was last year. 55 00:02:32,712 --> 00:02:35,271 Lucio Vasquez: That same river destroyed the RV park they 56 00:02:35,291 --> 00:02:36,941 owned just over a year ago. 57 00:02:37,021 --> 00:02:41,441 More than 130 people died in flooding across Central Texas at that time. 58 00:02:41,971 --> 00:02:45,701 For Guillen and her husband, watching the Guadalupe rise again has reopened 59 00:02:45,712 --> 00:02:47,632 wounds that had barely begun to heal. 60 00:02:48,072 --> 00:02:51,751 Last year, in the early morning hours of July 4th, floodwaters 61 00:02:51,781 --> 00:02:53,021 tore through the region. 62 00:02:53,072 --> 00:02:55,981 The couple waded through rushing water, pounding on RV 63 00:02:55,982 --> 00:02:57,871 doors to wake sleeping campers. 64 00:02:57,941 --> 00:03:01,301 Guillen was helping people uphill when they spotted John and Julia 65 00:03:01,302 --> 00:03:05,581 Burgess trapped on a small island in the river with their two young boys. 66 00:03:05,951 --> 00:03:08,631 Last year, Bob Canales recounted the story to me. 67 00:03:08,781 --> 00:03:12,462 Across the raging river, he told me he shouted, "Throw me the baby." 68 00:03:12,682 --> 00:03:15,501 Bob Canales: And I understand why he didn't do it, 'cause 69 00:03:16,161 --> 00:03:17,952 what if the baby didn't make it? 70 00:03:18,081 --> 00:03:21,842 Or what if I didn't get the ba- So instinctively I stepped off the s- 71 00:03:21,911 --> 00:03:28,178 sidewalk and uh, in an attempt to help him, but the water was too powerful 72 00:03:28,548 --> 00:03:31,058 Lucio Vasquez: The Burgess family disappeared into the current. 73 00:03:31,198 --> 00:03:33,758 Their bodies were found in the days that followed. 74 00:03:33,928 --> 00:03:36,248 Bob Canales: I remember seeing him standing by that tree you're looking 75 00:03:36,248 --> 00:03:41,828 at there with the lights on, and, uh, that was the last time I saw that 76 00:03:41,828 --> 00:03:44,948 fine y- young man with his family. 77 00:03:45,377 --> 00:03:48,598 Lucio Vasquez: The couple helped save nearly two dozen other campers. 78 00:03:48,637 --> 00:03:52,287 For the next few hours, they would helplessly watch as cabins broke loose 79 00:03:52,287 --> 00:03:57,177 from their foundations, as RVs were ripped from their parking spots, as cries for 80 00:03:57,177 --> 00:03:59,367 help echoed over the roar of the river. 81 00:03:59,868 --> 00:04:03,517 Months later, as they rebuilt their lives, Guillen was struggling. 82 00:04:03,758 --> 00:04:09,797 Lorena Guillén: It took a while, uh, in my case, to realize that I needed some help. 83 00:04:10,078 --> 00:04:16,617 Um, I didn't know that, uh, being, you know, in a bad mood is, uh, some sort of 84 00:04:16,807 --> 00:04:21,227 depression and trauma, and of course, I was diagnosed with all that, plus PTSD. 85 00:04:22,547 --> 00:04:24,557 Lucio Vasquez: The flood also damaged their home. 86 00:04:24,627 --> 00:04:26,958 They've since moved about 40 minutes away. 87 00:04:27,117 --> 00:04:29,817 Guillen says she's grateful that things were different this year. 88 00:04:29,947 --> 00:04:33,227 Lorena Guillén: The big difference between last year and this one is we 89 00:04:33,238 --> 00:04:39,328 had no one staying on our property, sleeping overnight, so we didn't have 90 00:04:39,328 --> 00:04:44,737 to worry about people losing their lives like, like we did last year. 91 00:04:44,927 --> 00:04:48,647 Lucio Vasquez: Now, instead of rebuilding the campground, the couple plans to create 92 00:04:48,647 --> 00:04:50,797 a riverfront space for day visitors. 93 00:04:50,857 --> 00:04:52,677 No more overnight guests. 94 00:04:53,037 --> 00:04:57,118 There's also new flood sirens on the property donated by a private company. 95 00:04:57,677 --> 00:05:00,548 Lorena Guillén: A lot of our neighbors did evacuated, and, 96 00:05:00,997 --> 00:05:03,007 you know, it saved some lives. 97 00:05:03,568 --> 00:05:07,108 Lucio Vasquez: After last year's flood, state lawmakers invested millions into 98 00:05:07,108 --> 00:05:11,498 new river gauges and flood sirens that now stretch across much of the Hill Country. 99 00:05:11,657 --> 00:05:13,517 Here's Governor Greg Abbott on Friday. 100 00:05:13,677 --> 00:05:16,087 Governor Greg Abbott: Because of everything that was learned and 101 00:05:16,087 --> 00:05:20,167 experienced in the flood last year, everybody in Texas has 102 00:05:20,197 --> 00:05:23,998 been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year. 103 00:05:24,267 --> 00:05:27,267 There again is one reason why lives have been saved. 104 00:05:27,447 --> 00:05:30,527 Lucio Vasquez: For locals in the Hill Country like Guillen and Canales, they 105 00:05:30,528 --> 00:05:32,347 know the Guadalupe will rise again. 106 00:05:32,468 --> 00:05:35,037 The difference, they hope, is that the community will be better 107 00:05:35,037 --> 00:05:36,598 prepared for the next flood.