Remembering the Hill County flood disaster – one year later

A year after catastrophic flooding tore through the Texas Hill Country, the recovery is visible across the region, but the lasting impact of the disaster remains. The flooding happened July 4, 2025, leaving devastation across the Kerrville area and along the Guadalupe River. For the photojournalists who documented the disaster, the images and emotions from that day are still vivid. “These people who died in this flood, everything was taken away instantaneously. They had no idea,” one of the photojournalists said. Veteran photojournalists David Mendoza, Fernando Flores and Mike Guerrero looked back on what they saw and recorded as the flood unfolded, much of it in darkness before the full scale of the destruction was clear. “I’m not really noticing anything too substantial,” one said early on. Another recalled, “People driving around like it just a normal rainy day.” That changed quickly as information began coming in before sunrise. “I think that’s the first we’ve heard maybe of people actually being swept away,” one of them said. As crews focused on the Guadalupe River, they described a fast-moving torrent filled with debris, including large trees. “I got my camera and gear and I set up a shot of the river,” one photojournalist said. Another described the conditions: “Severly high fast moving very fast moving, a lot of debris in it a lot of large trees, a lot of trash, trash and trees and the sky was still dark.” He also recalled seeing wildlife fleeing the water’s path: “I saw some wild animals, some fawn, some deer escaping the path of the river..” During the station’s extended coverage, Mendoza later captured aerial images from above. What he saw was deeply unsettling. “I saw something sticking above the water, I wasn’t sure what it was. I had my camera on it for a brief second talking back and forth with the people in the studio and I zoomed out and once I realized what it was...” he said, trailing off. When daylight arrived, more destruction came into view. Guerrero was in Ingram with reporter Taylor Whartnby, where the damage included buildings and infrastructure swept away. “The post office was literally gone,” he said. “The neighbors were out there telling us stories about how they use to come here and you know what they were thinking about what happened.” He also described the force of the floodwaters: “There were huge concrete boulders, that had been moved from their spot and placed somewhere else.” Another scene stood out: “It just looked like something had just blown up. There were cars, every day items all over the place.” _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WOAI on Instagram:   / news4sa   WOAI on Facebook:   / news4sa   WOAI on Twitter:   / news4sa   Subscribe to WOAI on YouTube:    / @woaivideo   Daily News Playlist:    • Playlist   For more information, visit https://news4sanantonio.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 210.442-6397 WOAI is a TX based station and an NBC Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WOAI #NEWS4SA #NEWS4SanAntonio #WOAI4 #SanAntonio