Texas Volunteers Raise $52K After Deadly Hunt Floods

For eight months, Marissa Rios has driven an hour each way to Hunt, Texas, putting hundreds of miles on her truck to help a town she'd never visited before last July.

That's when deadly Fourth of July floods ripped through this Hill Country community in Kerr County, destroying homes and displacing families who still haven't returned. What Rios saw on her first visit nearly brought her to tears.

"No matter what you saw on TV, it didn't compare to the reality of seeing it firsthand," Rios said, looking at a friend's home that's been completely gutted to save the foundation.

When the floods hit, Rios helped the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department coordinate the relief effort. She personally checked in all 800 volunteers who showed up, matched their skills to needs, and connected them with families who needed help.

Along the way, she met Brooke Beck, and together they've become advocates for a community they say has been overlooked. "Hunt has been pretty much not thought of," Beck said. "You know, everything going to Kerrville."

The rebuilding is painfully slow. Many families lived in the floodplain and lacked insurance, but they're determined to keep properties that have been in their families for generations.

Hope Worldwide has stepped in to fill the gap. A few days each week, Mary Rose drives from San Antonio to run a supply center in Hunt's Preservation Park, stocking everything from cleaning supplies to diapers for families living far from stores.

The Ripple Effect

Rios and her friends wanted to do more, so they organized Hope for Hunt, a benefit concert that became a lifeline for the community. The event raised $52,000, and after expenses, organizers gave almost $16,000 to each of three organizations focused on recovery.

One recipient was the volunteer fire department itself. "We wanted the volunteer fire department to have what they need in case this ever happens again," Rios explained.

The money is already making a difference through the Hunt Preservation Society and other groups working to rebuild homes and restore hope to families dealing with unimaginable trauma.

While many volunteers have moved on to other causes, Rios keeps coming back. She's invested in Hunt's future now, and she wants residents to know they haven't been forgotten.

"A lot of these people's trauma that they're dealing with is unreal," Rios said. "And a lot of them don't want to leave. So, we need to come to them and help them still."

Month after month, Hunt is healing because people like Rios keep showing up.