After devastating floods a Central Texas community comes together

Summary

After Devastating Floods, a Central Texas Community Comes Together

Consider This from NPR
Release Date: July 10, 2025
Host: Juana Summers

1. Devastating Impact of the Floods

Nearly a week after catastrophic flooding struck Kerr County, Texas, the community grapples with immense loss and destruction. The floods, which claimed the lives of over 100 residents, devastated areas between Kerrville and Ingram. In the immediate aftermath, local institutions have been repurposed to aid those affected.

2. City West Church Transformed into a Lifeline

The City West Church, traditionally a place of worship, has been converted into a bustling food distribution center. Volunteers tirelessly work around the clock, preparing and packaging meals for the community and first responders.

“Everybody here in Kerr County lost someone or knows someone that lost someone. So for those 70 or 100 volunteers that are with us every day, it's therapy for them.”
— Gary LeBlanc, CEO of Mercy Chefs [00:38]

3. Mercy Chefs Mobilizes to Provide Relief

Organized by Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based nonprofit, the operation aims to deliver up to 5,000 hot meals daily. CEO Gary LeBlanc shared the rapid mobilization of the organization:

“We started mobilizing on July 4 and had its first meal service the next day.”
— Gary LeBlanc [00:35]

Mercy Chefs relies heavily on local volunteers, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in times of crisis.

4. Tim Thomason and the Blind Faith Foundation’s Efforts

Tim Thomason, a local leader from Ingram and head of the Blind Faith Foundation, plays a pivotal role in coordinating food distribution across the county.

“We're trying to feed the county. Normally it would be feeding a community or, you know, a few houses, but this is such a tragedy.”
— Tim Thomason [03:12]

Thomason recounts a poignant moment when his team reached a camp of 200 girls who had been stranded without meals for two days:

“As we pulled up upon this camp of 200 little girls, they come running out crying and high-fiving and hugging us because they hadn't had a meal in two days.”
— Tim Thomason [03:45]

5. Stories from Affected Families: The Murayama Family

The personal toll of the floods is evident in the stories of families like the Murayamas. Marta Murayama and her husband Miles experienced the terror of the floods firsthand.

“So he went out the back door, and the water swept him away... the water was 7 feet high in the garage. But in here, it only seeped in through the door.”
— Marta Murayama [07:55]

Despite losing everything inside their home, the Murayamas consider themselves fortunate as Miles survived the ordeal. Their resilience is a testament to the community's strength.

6. The Role of Local Coaches: Tate Damasco and Chris Russ

Local high school coaches like Tate Damasco and Chris Russ have been instrumental in the relief efforts. As the athletic director and head football coach at Ingram Tom Moore High School, Damasco coordinates meal deliveries alongside volunteers.

“I have never been hugged by so much sweaty men in my entire life.”
— Tim Thomason [04:24]

Chris Russ, a coach from Kerrville's Tyvey High School, returned from vacation to aid the community after learning of the tragedy involving fellow coach Dick Eastland and numerous campers.

“This kind of coming and doing this kind of keeps me busy and not thinking about some of the other things.”
— Chris Russ [10:08]

Russ highlights the involvement of local youth in the recovery process:

“We have quite a few guys over there helping to clean out houses, clean out cabins... kids are resilient and they'll get through it.”
— Chris Russ [10:49]

7. Emotional and Social Resilience

Amidst the devastation, the community's solidarity shines through. Leaders emphasize the importance of maintaining focus, encouraging one another, and fostering a spirit of love and support.

“We keep focus. We encourage each other. We love each other here.”
— Tim Thomason [04:24]

The collective efforts of volunteers, local leaders, and families underscore the resilience and unity of the Kerr County community in the face of tragedy.

8. Moving Forward Together

As the community works tirelessly to provide essentials like hot meals, they also begin the arduous process of rebuilding their lives and homes. The shared experiences and mutual support not only address immediate needs but also lay the foundation for long-term recovery.

“Normalcy might be hard to reach anytime soon, but at least for today... people to have the routine experience of sharing a hot dinner.”
— Juana Summers [11:19]

Conclusion

The devastating floods in Kerr County, Texas, have undeniably left scars on the community. However, the remarkable response from local organizations, volunteers, and leaders like Gary LeBlanc, Tim Thomason, Tate Damasco, and Chris Russ highlights the enduring human spirit. Their collective actions provide not just sustenance but also hope and a path toward healing for a community in crisis.

---

Produced by Tyler Bartlam, Erica Ryan, Vincent Akovino, and Michael Levitt. Edited by Courtney Dorning. Executive Producer: Sami Yenigun.

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

It's been nearly a week since devastating flooding tore through Kerr County, Texas, killing more than 100 people. Sitting between the towns of Kerrville and Ingram is the City West Church. This house of worship has been transformed into a pop up food distribution site.

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[Juana Summers]

Volunteers line each side of folding tables scooping prepared food into containers before loading those meals into boxes. They're singing as they pack. Some of those meals will stay here at this church to fe first responders and people who come to a drive through, but most will be dispatched out across the community. This massive operation to feed thousands of impacted people and first responders is organized by a Virginia based nonprofit called Mercy Chefs. CEO Gary LeBlanc said the group started mobilizing on July 4 and had its first meal service the next day. Staff came from outside of Texas, but it relies on local volunteers to fill containers full of hot meals and help them reach the hungry. Everybody here in Kerr county lost someone or knows someone that lost someone. So for those 70 or 100 volunteers that are with us every day, it's therapy for them. LeBlanc says they're providing as many as 5,000 hot meals to the community here each day. Consider this Flooding has devastated the communities of Texas Hill Country. But even after the unimaginable residents are coming together to help each other move forward. From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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[Juana Summers]

It'S consider this from NPR in one room of the city west church. A group huddles around a whiteboard. There's a big list of places in need of food and people to contact. A man stands in front of it organizing volunteers. His phone seems to ring constantly.

[Tim Thomason]

We're trying to feed the county. Normally it would be feeding a community or, you know, a few houses, but this is such a tragedy.

[Juana Summers]

That's Tim Thomason. He's from Ingram here in central Texas and leads a group called the blind faith foundation.

[Tim Thomason]

And we literally are finding other subdivisions that got wiped away that haven't had food in two and three days.

[Juana Summers]

Thomason says this has been a devastating week, but that there have also been many rewarding moments.

[Tim Thomason]

We got a call that there was 200 little girls at a camp upriver, stuck on top of a hilltop. And as we pulled up upon this camp of 200 little girls, they come running out crying and high fiving and hugging us because they hadn't had a meal in two days. And to know that we had the ability to go do that and to make a difference in those lives and give them a hot meal, there's just no words.

[Juana Summers]

But how do you feed an entire county in the aftermath of a disaster like this, where the need is so vast? Some damaged areas are still challenging to reach. In moments like these, Texans look to one another.

[Tim Thomason]

We keep focus. We encourage each other. We love each other here. And I was telling our group here, I have never been hugged by so much sweaty men in my entire life.

[Juana Summers]

In this case, people turn to high school sports coaches like Tate Damasco. He's the athletic director and head football coach at Ingram Tom Moore high school. He offers to let us come along with him as he delivers meals to a hard hit neighborhood.

[Tate Damasco]

We're gonna get right in here. I'll start it.

[Juana Summers]

While I load these boxes, Damasco and some volunteers hoist cardboard boxes full of hot meals, a cooler with cold drinks, into the back of a white pickup truck. There's a decal of the high school's logo, a white arrowhead with red block letters on the side.

[Tate Damasco]

All right, y' all ready to roll?

[Juana Summers]

Let's do it. And from there, athletic director Tate Damasco sets on a winding five mile drive through a portion of the devastation that ripped through his community.

[Tate Damasco]

My phone started ringing at about 4:45 Friday morning. One of our other coaches actually lives up in hunt and called me. And he had called me three times, and so I finally answered the third time. He says, you got to get up. It's back. So I got in my car and headed straight to the fire department to find out what we could do.

[Juana Summers]

That's incredible. Was it hard to get other coaches to kind of come out and help or was everybody just kind of know this is where we need to be and how we need to serve?

[Tate Damasco]

They know, I mean, and you know, when you pour into kids and parents are, are big supporters of us right now, those are the ones that are affected by all this. So it's easy. I haven't had anybody say no, where do you want me at? How can I help?

[Juana Summers]

We drive down a state highway that runs parallel to the Guadalupe River. For many in this region, life on the river is a source of joy. But the Guadalupe river flooding was the source of most of the recent destruction and anguish felt here.

[Tate Damasco]

Water got close to getting over that bridge and it was all throughout this field. Our school's over here on the right. Not much, it's kind of up on a hill, so we had minimal damage there. But if you start looking down this left hand side, like this is our little league complex. If you start looking over here to the left, I mean, it's gone.

[Juana Summers]

I mean, there's so much debris and so many split trees.

[Tate Damasco]

Geez, for years over here on this practice field, you know, you look across, you couldn't see across the river because all the cypress trees on the banks and you can see all those are gone. So when y' all ask me, you know, about our kids, imagine being a 15, 16, 17 year old kid that's grown up here in this beautiful place. And this is what it looks like right now.

[Juana Summers]

Damasco pulls into another neighborhood a few miles beyond the high school.

[Tate Damasco]

So a lot of destruction. Some houses are not hurt, but a lot of them add water over the roofs and just, you know, they're gutting everything and getting everything out. And that's kind of where we're at. And we're, we're pulling in right now.

[Juana Summers]

The damage is immediately clear.

[Tate Damasco]

So the water just came straight off that bend right there and straight through this neighborhood.

[Juana Summers]

Waterlogged furniture and belongings are piled up at the curb. Outside some houses, big dumpsters are overflowing. Marcus, you want a chicken pot pie? We stop at one house where a man is power washing grime away from the exterior. Marta Murayama lives here with her husband Miles. They were home sleeping when the flooding started.

[Marta Murayama]

So the neighbors called and woke us up and we thought somebody was breaking into a house. So he ran, tried to run out and saw that the water was already, I don't know, about six feet High. So he went out the back door, and the water swept him away, and he went over into the outdoor kitchen. And while he was out there, my daughter's car that was here, that blue car, floated by him and ended up in the neighbor's back fence. So once our fences went down, then all the water went around. It did tear off our. Actually, it folded our garage door in half. And so the water was 7 foot high in the garage. But in here, it only seeped in through the door.

[Juana Summers]

We could hear from the outside, their house looks relatively untouched. Inside, though, everything inside is gone.

[Marta Murayama]

Because we had one foot bass, we had fish leeches.

[Juana Summers]

Everything inside the house, everything. You lost everything inside your home. I'm so sorry. They consider themselves lucky. Miles was swept away by the water outside their house, but he survived. While they've lost everything, Family members gathered at their house to start the arduous process of rebuilding. I talked with Ashley Espinosa, Marta, and Miles daughter, as she grabbed food and drinks from the truck. How's your mom doing with all of this? She's dealing with it the best that she can. I mean, she's holding it together the.

[NPR Sponsor]

Best that she can.

[Juana Summers]

And, I mean, that's all that she can do. These were the cards that she was dealt, and she's. She's managing. Just a few steps away from the house, a group sits in a semicircle singing hymns, clapping along. After winding our way along the same road along the Guadalupe river, we arrive back at the church. Damasco says he's headed to pick up another local coach and head out to another drop in another impacted community. Chris Russ grew up in Kerrville and now coaches football and baseball at Kerrville's Tyvey High School. He and his family were on vacation when news of the flooding reached them. They learned that another Tyvee high school coach and his whole family were missing. They immediately returned home to central Texas.

[Chris Russ]

I just drove straight through to get back home. And, you know, this kind of coming and doing this kind of keeps me busy and not thinking about some of the other things. So I grew up with the Eastlands.

[Juana Summers]

There's the camp directors from camp Mystic.

[Chris Russ]

So, yes, and so I knew I met Dick when I was in seventh grade. So I've known that family know the oldest brother, Richard, real well.

[Juana Summers]

The Eastlands, Dick and Tweety owned Camp mystic since the 1970s. Dick Eastland was killed in the flooding, along with scores of young campers and counselors who were swept away. One of Dick Eastland's grandsons plays for Chris Russ football team. Russ visited Camp mystic earlier in the day.

[Chris Russ]

Well, a lot of, you know, when I was at mystic, there's quite a few guys. George Eastland is one of our football players. And so we have quite a few guys over there helping to clean out houses, clean out cabins. And so they're staying busy. We'll push on. And I think kids are resilient and they'll get through it. And so yeah, I mean they're helping when they can and also trying to get back to some normalcy.

[Juana Summers]

Normalcy might be hard to reach anytime soon, but at least for today, Chris, Russ Tate, Damasco and a fleet of local coaches have made it possible for people to have the routine experience of sharing a hot dinner. This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam, Erica Ryan, Vincent Akovino and Michael Levitt. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Juana Summers.

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