50 Volunteers Rebuild Uvalde Homes After Record Floods

When 3 feet of water rushed through Brooke Garner's home last week, she didn't know where to begin. But she didn't have to figure it out alone.

Garner and her husband had lived in their Uvalde County house for 10 years, never imagining floods could reach them. Last week's torrential rains proved them wrong, filling bottom drawers with water and pushing over a wall in their driveway.

Within days, volunteers appeared at her door. Teenagers hauled away debris while others carefully pieced together her most precious photos and documents. Workers removed soggy baseboards and moved furniture out of the waterlogged rooms.

"There's so many good people here," Garner said as volunteers aired out her home. "So many people that just want to help and do good for us."

Two doors down, Brady Williams led a church group of 50 people equipped with tools and determination. They cut fallen mesquite trees, cleared driveways, and tackled repairs one home at a time. Williams compared the effort to a tsunami response, not because of its force but because of its staying power.

Greg Knapp lives far from the slough behind the neighborhood, a distance that once felt safe. The record breaking floods taught him otherwise when a foot of water climbed into his house during hours of downpours.

"Never thought it would happen here," Knapp said. The Leona River crested just under 20 feet, shattering the previous record of 14.5 feet set in 2018.

The Bright Side

Many affected homeowners lack flood insurance because they don't live in FEMA designated flood zones. The financial road ahead looks uncertain, but the human support system is already rock solid.

In a community still healing from past tragedy, Uvalde residents are showing up for each other with an intensity that transforms disaster into connection. Tools in hand and compassion leading the way, these volunteers are proving that recovery doesn't have to be faced alone.