Duane’s Update from Hunt, TX Flood Recovery – October 2025
Sunday, September 21, 2025
As I sit here reflecting on the past several days in Hunt, TX, on the south branch of the Guadalupe River, just 6 miles downriver from Camp Mystic, my heart is so conflicted. This is such a beautiful area, but less than 2 months ago on the night of July 4th, a massive flood of water came through here, some areas as much as 50 feet.
We, ReachGlobal Crisis Response, have responded to this area. We are working on homes 100 yards from the river and 20 plus feet higher than the river, and I can nearly touch the water line. This one little community had 16 homes, but the flood waters took 10 away, leaving 6. We are working on 4 of them. There were over 10 lives taken as these homes were swept away.
We are now hosting day teams. They come help RGCR staff start to rebuild these family lives. We are focused on the project, BUT this gives us the opportunity for Great God conversations with the people of the community, homeowners, and team members.
After working with Steve (name changed) all day, he came up to me and said he didn’t realize how impactful and emotional the day would be. He started to cry, as a good friend of his family lost their 10 year old daughter, who was attending camp Mystic (just a few miles upriver from where we are working) when the flood occurred. We cried and prayed together. Stories like this are a reminder of how life is so precious every day.
Sunday, October 5, 2025
After lunch at church today I drove along the Guadalupe River looking for a place to reflect again about the past time here in Hunt, TX. Along a road in Ingram, TX, between Hunt and Kerrville, there were 17 deer grazing as if nothing happened here 3 months and a day ago on July 4th. This reminds me of how often we forget about what has happened when a disaster occurs. Today there is still evidence of the devastation, but life in general seems to be back to normal. Whatever normal is. This is not the case at all! We hear stories from the people of the community and homeowners indicating that people and the community are hurting.
I’ve have had the privilege of meeting several homeowners and hearing their stories over the last few weeks.
Jack (name changed) described what the night was like. He and his wife were asleep, and he heard a noise outside. He went and looked out towards the river, which is 200 feet and 50 ft below their house. He saw 2 ft of water on his windows and sliding glass door in the living room and dining rooms. He ran and got his wife up. She wanted to drive away but he insisted they go up into the attic. As he followed her up the ladder, while he was on the 3rd step, the glass broke and water rushed into their home. They sat in the attic terrified. Over the next 30 minutes to an hour the water rose in the house to about 8 ft, swirling out the living room and dining room furniture. The water finally went down. ReachGlobal Crisis Response is helping install new electrical devices in this home working alongside contractors.
Sally (name changed) and her 6 grandchildren were home when they heard the water and quickly opened the doors to the house before they would not be able too. The 6 grandchildren went out the backdoor and Sally was swept out the front door. Sally didn’t know what happened to the grandchildren, and the grandchildren didn’t know what happened to her. Sally grabbed a post on the front porch as the water swept by. She said the water got as high as her chin. Can you imagine not knowing where your 6 grandchildren are for over an hour and half? The children climbed a Ligustrum tree with the 3 littler ones up higher. As the water got deeper, they climbed higher. This is a scraggly tree. Once the water went down, they were reunited. Sally said what a blessing that was!!! The grandchildren told their grandmother that the oak tree just 15 ft upstream from the Ligustrum tree deflected what appeared to be a vehicle and a dumpster that was floating down stream. The children also told Sally they were singing camp songs about Jesus and sang "Amazing Grace" while in the tree for over an hour and half. What a testimony from 6 children to point to God in a disastrous time! At this point, I teared up and another RGCR staff member prayed for Sally. Her home is one on our list to work on. God's spirit in this house has really impacted my time here in Hunt, Texas.
Sitting here on the riverbank reflecting on my last several weeks in Hunt, TX, just reminded me again how precious life is and how quick it can change. We need to be thankful, and praise God every day, in the good times and bad times!
Prayer requests:
- Pray for people around the world, USA included, that are facing disasters.
- Pray for RGCR Hunt Texas site.
- Homeowners would receive the money promised to them.
- That our staff will slow down, not burn out, get out of the relief mode and move into the rebuilding mode, (at first it's a sprint, now it’s for the long term).
- Pray for RGCR sites, Hunt, TX, Ft Myers, FL, Hazard, KY, Hendersonville, NC, and Lake Charles, LA, to share the love of Christ to those in need.
- Pray for me to share the Gospel boldly.
Please consider donating to our Hunt, TX site, click on link below to see more information on Hunt, TX, and the donation link.
https://give.efca.org/projects/texas-hill-country-floods
Please pray Mathew 9:39 NIV “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Be Blessed,
Duane Swanson
Cell: 337-781-4942
Jobsite supervisor
To donate to My support needs, click Here
