Robin Oliveros has been working with the nonprofit Operation Texas Strong to provide free refuge and donated RVs for families displaced by the flooding.
KERRVILLE, Texas — Greg Adkins is reminded every day of the catastrophic flooding that ripped through the Texas Hill Country exactly two months ago Thursday.
That’s because he survived the natural disaster. Alongside his neighbors, he’s been on the road to rebuild his community ever since.
Adkins lives in a neighborhood along the banks of Guadalupe River. He was able to escape the rushing flood waters early on the morning of July 4.
It didn’t take long for the river to take over his home and several other houses along Waterfront Drive in Kerrville.
Adkins’ home was spared for the most part. But while it’s still standing, the inside was a mess, leading to extensive work to remove sheetrock and flooring due to the water damage.
Down the road, all that remains of at least five homes destroyed by the flood are their foundations. Adkins is just glad he’s alive, but at the same time he feels for the families who lost loved ones.
At least 117 people died in the Kerrville region, while two people remain unaccounted for.
“I’m holding up just fine by the good graces of a very good God. I’m still around to talk about it,” Adkins said. “The debris removal, they waited a month to a month and a half before they started on it and it finally started happening. There was four piles, 15 feet high behind my houses here. But they finally got on it and today is the final day of them finishing with it.”
Not far away from the Guadalupe River, in an elevated, hilly area of Kerrville, is an RV park managed by Robin Oliveros.
Oliveros has been working with the Weatherford-based nonprofit known as Operation Texas Strong helping connect displaced families with donated RVs.
At least 16 families who lost their homes in the flooding now reside at Kerrville RV Park and Cabins. For Oliveros, caring for these survivors has been rewarding.
“I don’t even like using the word food victim anymore, because they’re our family,” she said. “All of them have been gracious and just so appreciative. We have Amazon lists; they go directly to them. We also have donors that bring in clothing—some is new, some is gently used. We have food. Anything, if it’s not here, we’re going to find it.
“We lift each other up. If someone has something positive going on, we make sure that we’re there to support them and rally them up.”
At least a couple dozen RVs have been donated by people from across the nation over the past two months through Operation Texas Strong and its partners in the Hill Country. Oliveros stressed there’s an urgent need for more.
To learn how to help, visit Operation Texas Strong’s Facebook page here.