KERRVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country announced a pledge of $40 million in donations that will go directly toward housing assistance for people impacted by the July 4 floods.
In Kerr County, 117 people were killed in the flash floods, including 37 children. Two people are still missing.
The money will go toward temporary housing assistance, home repairs/rebuilding, RV repairs/replacement and case managers.
The funding distribution will take a four-tiered approach, with follow-up funds going toward:
- Mental health and well-being
- Economic recovery and quality of life
- Future long-term needs.
According to its latest announcement, the Community Foundation had received about $100 million in donations.
“This is not only a record amount of money being provided to local residents, I think it’s going to be a record speed at which these homeowners are going to be able to get back into their homes,” Gov. Greg Abbott, who made remarks at a Thursday press conference, said.
This announcement follows an emotional day at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday, when families of girls who died at Camp Mystic testified to a Senate committee in favor of legislation that would require more safety measures for camps across the state. Those measures include placing emergency and evacuation plans in cabins and prohibiting camps from being built in floodplains. The bill made it through the committee and will now go to the full chamber for a vote.
Disaster declarations were signed in Kerr County almost immediately after the floods.
How flood relief money gets to people in need
Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, is urging people to “raise their hand” and request funding. He said the donation money cannot be allocated to anyone who doesn’t apply.
Anyone wishing to apply for the funding can register on RebuildKerr.org.
Dickson said applicants should expect to get a call from a caseworker within a week.
‘It’s going to take a long time‘
“I can’t even think about it,” said Tammi Ladewig, addressing the widespread loss of life from the July 4 floods.
While heartbroken, she considers herself one of the lucky ones. Her family is OK, and her garage door business, AmCo Overhead Door Company, is slowly getting back to normal.
“It’s going to take a long time, because nothing happens fast, unfortunately,” she said.
She said she applied for some small-business relief funding, but hasn’t heard back yet.
Before the housing pledge announcement, the Community Foundation had distributed $16 million to local nonprofits for things including, but not limited to, small business assistance.
While adjusting to a new standard, Ladewig has an immense sense of pride and gratitude for her community.
“Country strong,” she said. “That’s the good thing.”
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