In Austin-area trailer parks hit by floods, uninsured hope for federal aid

Marble Falls postman Kendall Myers spent much of Monday sitting in a hotel room, refreshing the Federal Emergency Management Agency website on his phone. 

In one way, he had been lucky: While his neighbors fought through raging currents to escape Saturday’s floods, at least one of them losing his life, Myers was with his parents in Oklahoma. That meant that when he returned over the weekend, he still had a working car, unlike many others in the Cedar Stays RV Park, about 50 miles northwest of Austin. 

But his trailer home was destroyed after floodwaters picked it up and slammed it atop his 2005 Harley. Hail damage from an April 2024 storm meant he couldn’t insure the RV, so he’ll have to replace his living quarters on his own dime — unless Burnet County is added to the FEMA disaster declaration.

Does Myers have the savings to buy a new mobile home? “No, not really. That's why I'm a little pissed off about FEMA not helping us right now,” he said.

At the request of Gov. Greg Abbott, President Donald Trump on Sunday declared a federal disaster in Kerr County, where a devastating July 4 flood killed more than 100 people and left at least 161 others missing, as of the latest official data Thursday. And state and local entities alike have contributed resources like helicopters and thousands of personnel to search, rescue and recovery efforts throughout Texas. 

In the Austin area, however, where at least 16 people died, about a dozen remain missing and many homes were destroyed, residents are unsure if they'll receive federal assistance. Abbott on Thursday afternoon formally requested FEMA assistance for Travis, Williamson, Burnet, San Saba and Tom Green counties.

"Texas will continue to deploy all available resources and support to help those impacted until the job is done," Abbott said. 

To qualify for FEMA, counties need time, damage assessments

For residents affected by flooding to qualify for FEMA aid, individual counties or the state at-large must prove enough damage to meet federal thresholds. In 2025, states must reach $1.89 in damage per capita and a county must have sustained $4.72 in damage per capita. 

Williamson County has to meet a minimum damage amount of $2.8 million to receive FEMA aid, spokeswoman Connie Odom said. Travis County must meet a $5.7 million minimum threshold, according to the city of Austin. Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties are still totaling up the flood damage in their jurisdictions to formally apply for FEMA resources, officials have said. 

In his announcement Thursday, Abbott said the five named counties had met those necessary thresholds. Abbott also requested federal disaster designations for San Saba and Tom Green counties. 

FEMA provides financial assistance for individuals without insurance to rebuild after disasters and can also help provide temporary housing and other recovery-related costs. FEMA also helps local governments rebuild public infrastructure after sustaining a federally set minimum amount of damage.

Abbott on July 5 added six more counties affected by the Central Texas floods to a state disaster declaration, including Travis, Williamson and Burnet, and said other counties hit by the flooding may also receive federal disaster declarations. 

State and local officials have encouraged flood victims to report damage to the Texas Division of Emergency Management whether they have insurance or not, because each report can move counties closer to securing a federal disaster declaration. 

Community groups, volunteers offer immediate aid

In the meantime, churches, nonprofits and community centers have helped meet Austin-area flood survivors’ immediate needs for temporary housing, food and other supplies. 

People involved in the work say that the weekend’s floods pose unique challenges compared to past disasters.

In 2018, many people affected by floods in Llano and Burnet counties were homeowners with insurance policies, said Rachel Naumann, co-director of the Ark of Highland Lakes, a Christian nonprofit in Marble Falls. In contrast, most of the July 5 flood survivors live in trailers and are uninsured. Her group is managing 70 cases and counting so far, she said Wednesday. 

“We're going to be helping these families have to find completely new places to stay, whether that's a new RV or helping them get into the limited housing resources we have in the area,” she said in a phone interview. The group is also managing 100-200 volunteers daily at their warehouse, where they are giving out food and other supplies, and directing people to the state damage assessment portal. 

Some local governments have also stepped in. In Travis County, officials set up a resource center at Danielson Middle School in Leander where people can access food and water and assistance for housing and other needs. 

People in need of assistance can also go to local nonprofits, such as the Austin Disaster Relief Network, for help. The organization partners with local governments to help residents begin clearing debris, cleaning out damaged homes and finding temporary hotels or other housing, said Alistair Perumal, senior director of advancement.

"We urge people to reach out," Perumal said. "They should not feel any kind of hesitation to reach out to get assistance." 

Individuals have also taken on much of the rebuilding effort in Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties.

On Monday, the owner of the Cedar Stays RV Park and a brigade of family members were out in the mud with bulldozers and forklifts, moving stacks of downed trees into the park’s periphery. Dozens of people came to offer water, food and helping hands on Sunday.

“You can’t ask for people being better than what they’ve been,” said the owner’s father, Darrell Bible, his dog Jack sitting next to him in a golf cart. “It’s amazing, the support we’ve gotten.” 

They succeeded in clearing a path wide enough for residents to access the park again. 

Rona Galloway, 63, was grateful to pick up her medication and the legal documents she and her partner need to apply for assistance. She was “blessed” that a friend had lent her his car until she and her family are back on their feet, she said.

But that doesn’t ease their sense of devastation. Galloway’s partner of 14 years, Patrick Brown, was in tears as he beheld their Wildwood Heritage Glen Lite, a trailer she said they bought for $90,000. 

“Why did you do this to us? Why, Lord?” he asked, staring up into the sky. “We worked so hard for this. Why did this happen to us?”

In a text message to the Statesman later, he wrote, “I am 60 years old and I can’t start over again.”

On Wednesday, rebuilder and Hutto resident Marc Corinth paused his professional work to volunteer as foreman over two neighboring RV park properties in Georgetown that wer decimated in Saturday’s flood. Corinth, the wrangler of volunteers, spent evenings recruiting people from Facebook to help the next day or coordinating with Starbucks and H-E-B, which both sent teams.

Each day, small businesses and nonprofits send help to the site. And individuals come on their own accord, some using their paid vacation time to do so. 

Justin Campell and Eddie Fallin from Lauren Concrete in Georgetown helped pull huge RVs thrown in the neighboring creek with a large yellow loader, and will be there as long as their company can spare them.

Wednesday was another volunteer’s third day pulling and sorting debris at the RV site.

"If you're here, you're family," the volunteer, Wade Smith, wants people in the community to know. "We got your back.”

Claire Osborn and Lily Kepner contributed reporting.