HUNT, Texas — For months, disaster case managers have heard stories of homes being lifted off their foundations as a result of the Fourth of July floods, and their mission is to help the affected families any way they can.
In Hunt, seven months after the flood, broken glass and concrete slabs remain.
“[This is a] private residence off Highway 39,” said case manager Chae Spencer. “As you see the crosses…lives were lost here.”
The home in question belonged to Spencer’s close family friends and was lifted off its foundation after being consumed by floodwater during the flood.
The family was granted $250,000 to rebuild from the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, and soon after the flood, Spencer took on the role of lead disaster case manager for her community.
“They didn’t think there was any help for them, they really didn’t,” she said. “They had no hope. They had lost hope for help. It was a lot of tears shed when they were approved.”
For years, Hunt has been home to Spencer’s family, but the Guadalupe River rising nearly 40 feet has changed this town, and the people who live there, forever.
“We didn’t know who was alive, and we didn’t know who wasn’t,” she said. “We heard so many rumors and stories, and sadly, some of them were not rumors.”
As the rebuild continues in Hunt, she and about 30 other case managers are helping flood survivors along the road to recovery.
“Our honor and our privilege to love on them right where they are and help however we can. Whether it be with temporary housing, or whether it be just to listen,” she said.
Giving families hope during unknown times is what these case managers do. Spencer doesn’t want the experience to be inauthentic for the people who have lost so much.
“It is so personal,” Spencer said. “You can’t do this robotic.”
She and others have been participating in training along the way to help them better serve their clients.
“They are our problem solvers,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.”They are our shock absorbers, and that’s why the streets literally should be named after them.”
With Hunt being a small and tight-knit community, Spencer says some days are harder than others.
“We’ve heard a lot of ‘why me?’,” Spencer said. “It’s all hard, but some of our friends have lost multiple people in their family, and their lives will never be the same.”
So far, the Flood Relief Fund has granted $55 million. They have been supporting over 1,000 families, 500 small businesses, and 85 nonprofits in the Texas Hill Country.
“This is neighbors helping neighbors,” Spencer said. “And I felt the call; this is not a job.”
Even though the green ribbons in Hunt are a reminder of the 119 lives lost, they’re a symbol of a community that’s not easily broken. These case managers are continuing to help the survivors move forward.
“Hearing their stories and listening and the personal relationships, that’s why we’re here,” Spencer said. “We’re not here as a job. We’re here as friends and as neighbors to hear those stories, to walk alongside them. Whatever they need and wherever they are in their walk.”