Swift-moving floodwater destroyed or heavily damaged 135 homes in Kerr County, Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday from Kerrville after taking a helicopter survey of affected areas and receiving a briefing by state and area officials.

Water that surged over the banks of the Guadalupe River last week also damaged 490 homes and about 100 businesses in Kerr County, Abbott said.

“For Kerr County, the majority of impacted residents are owner-occupied single-family homes indicating a substantial need for long-term housing, recovery, repair and rebuilding assistance,” Abbott said during a news conference.

The Guadalupe River downstream of Kerrville peaked at 37.08 feet in Comfort and is now around 5 feet, he said.

“Almost all rivers in this region hit record highs,” Abbott said, adding that in Kerrville, last week’s floods were worse than the July 2025 floods that had a far higher death toll.

For areas where the floodwater has passed, Abbott said the focus has shifted to debris removal and rebuilding, but he added that downstream flooding remains a concern for Cotulla, Tilden and Carrizo Springs.

“Just because the skies may be clear here right now doesn’t mean that the aggregation of water that’s flowing downstream has peaked. Downstream the waters will continue to rise and continue to pose dangers for those local communities,” Abbott said.

Looking ahead, the state is preparing for a tropical system developing in the gulf that is expected to hit the Texas coast Friday morning, said Janice Maldonado, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston.

“We’re all watching the tropics right now, we’re getting into the hurricane season,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, “and make sure that all agencies and assets and resources are available.”

This article first appeared in The Texas Tribune.

Photo: Damaged cars that washed away during the flooding in Kerrville, on July 16, 2026. Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune

Topics Texas Flood