KERRVILLE, Texas – A beloved home in Kerrville is now just boards.
Owners Diane and Butch McCracken were living in a recreational vehicle when the deadly Hill Country Floods hit. Their Kerrville home was being rented by other tenants.
Both the home and the RV were destroyed, but the McCrackens will not receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for either.
Despite the misfortune, the McCrackens are grateful they and their tenants survived the floods.
“We’re in an Airbnb that’s not generating income,” Diane said, “but we’re so blessed. We’re so freaking lucky.”
The road to recovery will not come easily for The McCrackens, but they are remaining optimistic.
“We’ll figure it out,” Diane said. “We have to show people that it’s possible so that they can do it too.”
On the early morning of July 4, the McCrackens were staying in their RV on the Guadalupe River. They woke up to loud banging around 5:30 a.m. They were told the river was flooding.
“It was moving so fast,” Diane said. “It wasn’t a river, it was an ocean.”
Diane and Butch were able to evacuate, but they lost their RV, truck, motorcycle and belongings in the floodwater.
The family staying in the McCrackens’ rental property also survived the flood. The home flooded with about three to four feet of water, even though it’s across the street and above the riverbed by about 30 feet.
“They lost everything in here,” Butch said. “Everything is just trashed.”
Butch and Diane were one of about 700 families to look for help in the first ten days at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville.
Diane said FEMA determined they were not covered because the home was not their primary residence.
TheTXLoop reached out to FEMA to ask why disaster assistance is not available for second homes, like rental and vacation properties.
“FEMA’s mission is to support the immediate needs of individuals and families whose primary residences have been impacted by the disaster,” a spokesperson emailed.
The McCrackens say the family renting their home was able to get help through FEMA. But, as the owners of the rental property, they were told to look at alternative options, like a loan through the Small Business Administration.
We’ve reported on other problems Kerr County residents have faced with FEMA. So, we asked that spokesperson to send us a rough timeline of what families looking for aid can expect:
-
Once FEMA receives an application, it will send updates to applicants via email or mail
-
Applicants can also log into their account at DisasterAssistance.gov or visit a Disaster Recovery Center for a status update
-
After FEMA has reviewed the submitted information, the applicant will receive a letter describing the assistance available and any additional information needed
-
A home inspection may be required for some types of assistance, in which case a FEMA inspector will reach out within seven to ten days of applying
FEMA emphasized that inspectors will use the telephone number provided on the FEMA application. State and county officials have warned about possible scams.
Diane and Butch told us they also applied for a grant through the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce president said in a recent meeting that businesses and families with rental properties can apply for support by filling out a form and submitting it in person.
Copyright 2025 by TheTXLoop – All rights reserved.