1 year on, Texas rains reopen wounds of deadly 2025 Hill Country flood for survivors

+ National 1 year on, Texas rains reopen wounds of deadly 2025 Hill Country flood for survivors July 18, 20267:42 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday By Lucio Vasquez 1 year on, Texas rains reopen wounds of deadly 2025 Hill Country flood for survivors Listen &middot; 4:45 4:45 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5897576/nx-s1-9853782" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript As rainfall saturates Texas this week, Lorena Guillen reflects on the year it has been since she and her husband tried to save a family from their RV park in the massive Hill Country floods last year. Sponsor Message Transcript SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Millions of people are breathing unhealthy air today as wildfires burn across Canada and in northern Minnesota and send smoke across the Midwest and Northeastern U.S. Emergency room visits have spiked, and officials in many places are giving out masks and recommending that people stay indoors.

+ Meanwhile, Texas, spared from the smoke, has seen days of extreme rainfall. Parts of the Texas Hill Country, north of San Antonio, saw roughly a year's worth of rain in a few days. At least two people have died, and more than 200 had to be rescued from the rising waters by boat or helicopter. For many Hill Country residents, it has meant reliving the trauma of last summer's catastrophic floods. The Texas Newsroom's Lucio Vasquez went to Kerr County, where one couple found that rebuilding means learning to live with a river they know will rise again. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) LUCIO VASQUEZ, BYLINE: The sound of honky-tonk music filled Howdy's Bar & Chill in Kerrville Thursday night. Behind the bar, owners Lorena Guillen and Bob Canales greeted customers by name. Outside, the wooden patio glistened after days of near-constant rain. Just beyond it, the Guadalupe River churned through Kerr County. LORENA GUILLEN: Feels a little bit of deja vu being here again today and seeing the river the same way it was last year. VASQUEZ: That same river destroyed the RV park they owned just over a year ago. More than 130 people died in flooding across central Texas at that time. And this week, severe weather once again plagued these same communities. A tornado also touched down near San Antonio. For Guillen and her husband, watching the Guadalupe rise again has reopened wounds that had barely begun to heal. Last year, in the early morning hours of July 4, floodwaters tore through the region. The couple waded through rushing water, pounding on RV doors to wake sleeping campers. Guillen was helping people uphill when they spotted John and Julia Burgess trapped on a small island in the river with their two young boys. Last year, Bob Canales recounted the story to me. Across the raging river, he told me he shouted, throw me the baby. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) BOB CANALES: And I understand why he didn't do it 'cause what if the baby didn't make it, or what if I didn't get the - so instinctively, I stepped off the sidewalk in an attempt to help him, but the water was too powerful. VASQUEZ: The Burgess family disappeared into the current. Their bodies were found in the days that followed. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) CANALES: I remember seeing them standing by that tree you're looking at there with the lights on, and that was the last time I saw that fine young man with his family. VASQUEZ: The couple helped save nearly two dozen other campers. For the next few hours, they would helplessly watch as cabins broke loose from their foundations, as RVs were ripped from their parking spots, as cries for help echoed over the roar of the river. Months later, as they rebuilt their lives, Guillen was struggling. GUILLEN: It took a while, in my case, to realize that I needed some help. I didn't know that being, you know, in a bad mood is some sort of depression and trauma. And, of course, I was diagnosed with all that plus PTSD. VASQUEZ: The flood also damaged their home. They've since moved about 40 minutes away. Guillen says she's grateful that things were different this year. GUILLEN: The big difference between last year and this one is we had no one staying on our property sleeping overnight. So we didn't have to worry about people losing their lives like we did last year. VASQUEZ: Now, instead of rebuilding the campground, the couple plans to create a riverfront space for day visitors. No more overnight guests. There's also new flood sirens on the property, donated by a private company. Those sirens sounded off earlier this week. GUILLEN: A lot of our neighbors did evacuated, and, you know, it saved some lives. VASQUEZ: After last year's flood, state lawmakers invested millions into new river gauges and flood sirens that now stretch across much of the Hill Country. Here's Governor Greg Abbott on Friday. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) GREG ABBOTT: Because of everything that was learned and experienced in the flood last year, everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year. There, again, is one reason why lives have been saved. VASQUEZ: For locals in the Hill Country, like Guillen and Canales, they know the Guadalupe will rise again. The difference, they hope, is that the community will be better prepared for the next flood. For NPR news, I'm Lucio Vasquez in Kerrville. (SOUNDBITE OF FLAWED MANGOES' "KILLSWITCH LULLABY") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. 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