The Situation
When the Guadalupe River rose 20 feet in a matter of hours on July 4, 2025, it didn’t just destroy homes, it swept away the places where families had built their lives. The Texas Hill Country, long known for its rolling beauty and tight-knit communities, was unrecognizable in the flood’s aftermath.
More than 20 inches of rain, fueled by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry and a relentless stalled weather system, turned a beloved river into a force of devastation across Kerr County and beyond. In Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram, and Center Point, families emerged to find their homes filled with mud, their belongings destroyed, and their neighbors missing. The grief was immeasurable. The need was immediate.
Team Rubicon’s Work, Measured
Team Rubicon was there within days, and stayed for 44. By July 10th, Greyshirts had established simultaneous operations in both Tom Green County and Kerr County, setting up their command center at an elementary school in Hunt, one of the hardest-hit communities along the river’s path. In a deliberate act of respect for the community, they came to serve, Team Rubicon brought their own food, water, and tents, refusing to compete with survivors for the area’s already scarce resources.
In Kerr County, where Camp Mystic and the surrounding neighborhoods bore the greatest loss of life, Greyshirts worked alongside families in punishing heat and humidity, stripping flood-damaged homes down to the studs before fast-spreading mold could take what the river had not. Every home entered was a family’s story. Every work order written was a commitment to see it through.
But for Team Rubicon, showing up is only the beginning. Recognizing that recovery doesn’t follow a news cycle, Greyshirts returned to Center Point in September 2025 to continue the painstaking work of muck-outs, debris removal, and home repair for residents still fighting to rebuild.
Their kindness, caring conversation, very thorough hard-work, and how they thanked me when I tried to express my appreciation.
– Beverly, Survivor from Operation Hill Country Hope in Kerr County, TX
What Came Next
The mission extended further into Burnet County before the year was out.
Throughout every phase, Team Rubicon partnered with the Texas Division of Emergency Management to coordinate the broader volunteer surge, creating detailed work orders to capture each survivor’s unmet needs and connecting residents to additional relief organizations so that no family fell through the cracks. And today, that commitment continues.
Team Rubicon maintains an active Long-Term Recovery project based out of Kerrville, a permanent, sustained presence in the heart of the Hill Country, funded by the generosity of donors who believe that real recovery is measured not in days, but in years. This is what donor investment makes possible: not a moment of relief, but a promise kept. Because to Team Rubicon, it is all about showing up for people on their worst days, and not leaving until the work was done.
How You Can Help
The work that followed these fires was funded by donors who gave before they knew where we’d be needed. Donate to our Ready Reserve.
How You Can Help
The work that followed these fires was funded by donors who gave before they knew where we’d be needed. Donate to our Ready Reserve.