Casita Blu and Paws on the River were nearly destroyed in the flood. Now, the owner is rebuilding smarter—designing for safety in Texas’ flood-prone Hill Country.
INGRAM, Texas — After deadly floodwaters tore through the Texas Hill Country on July 4, one Ingram man is rebuilding what he nearly lost—his businesses, his home and his life. Brian Olsen, owner of Casita Blu and Paws on the River, is reimagining his riverside retreat with one goal in mind: survival during the next storm.
Olsen’s property along the Guadalupe River has served as both a vacation escape and a place of refuge for locals in need. Casita Blu, a series of rental cabins dating back to 2014, and Paws on the River, a dog resort opened in 2022, were designed with peace and care.
On the morning of the flood, Olsen was sheltering seven dogs and five guests.
“The lady inside cabin five called me and she was just in hysterics and said, ‘Brian! There’s water in my cabin!’” Olsen said. “I shined my flashlight across the river and I could see all that water. I knew right then that hundreds of people were losing their lives.”
As the river surged, Olsen lifted dogs onto countertops and bar stools—doing all he could to keep them safe. One of them, Casper, is blind and deaf.
“I had him on a bar stool,” Olsen said. “It was all I could do.”
When the water finally receded, he emerged to a property torn apart. Floating appliances, waterlines above windows, fences shredded and tools he planned to salvage were later stolen.
“I lost two incomes within 45 minutes,” he said. “I’m self-employed. What’s it going to take for me to get this back again?”
Despite the devastation, Olsen isn’t giving up. Cleanup began immediately, thanks to overwhelming community support and volunteers—including vet techs and construction workers.
A GoFundMe campaign helped restore some of his financial footing.
“Within 24 hours, I had about a week’s operating capital,” he said. “Then the next 24, I had another week or so.”
In the aftermath, a wave of volunteers with diverse skills descended upon Ingram to aid in recovery efforts. Among them was a veterinary technician who assisted in reuniting displaced pets with their owners.
“All these dogs have ended up at the fire departments and shelters missing their owners, or they’re deceased and they’re trying to figure out who they belong to,” Olsen noted.
The Minnesota native plans to tear down and rebuild parts of his cabin using more limestone, concrete and elevated designs—structural choices to better withstand future floods.
“There are lessons learned from this,” Olsen said.
Olsen also sought assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but found the process challenging.
“We all contacted FEMA and it just doesn’t go anywhere,” he said. “It’s so difficult and tedious, we just had to give up on that and stick with the local non-profits.”
Casita Blu was one of the area’s first Airbnb properties. Now, as guests make plans to come back, he says this comeback is just beginning.
“I think we’ll be amazed at how quickly it’ll come back,” Olsen said. “Just like when Yellowstone started on fire—within ten years, it was a brand new park again. I think this will happen here.”