Kerr County leaders outline debris removal, burn rules and FEMA process as flood recovery continues

Kerr County officials told the commissioners court they are still in search-and-rescue and early recovery 25 days after the July 4 flooding and are shifting into coordinated debris removal and controlled burns in cleared sections of the flood-affected area.

The county judge said contractors and state crews are hauling debris to two main staging sites — near the soccer fields by the landfill and at Center Point ISD — and that contract trucks have been operating at scale. “If you haven’t seen the contractors, trucks are moving debris at warp speed,” the judge said.

Why this matters: county leaders said the work supports both closure for families still searching for two missing residents and public-safety goals to reduce wildfire and health risks from debris. The state is covering millions of dollars of removal on public roads, officials said, but private-property cleanup requires signed right‑of‑entry forms so contractors may enter individual lots.

County instructions and immediate steps - Right-of-entry: County officials said contractors will not enter private property without a signed right‑of‑entry form. Hard copies will be available at Hunt School, Ingram VFD and Center Point VFD, and an online submission was expected to be posted soon. - Burn rules: The judge described a limited lifting of the burn ban for areas outside the flood high‑water marks with the requirement that residents call the sheriff’s office dispatcher (the county’s record of the call serves as a formal permit) and notify their local volunteer fire department. Burning is allowed only between one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset; if a burn continues it must be manned 24/7. Volunteer fire departments are authorized to extinguish illegal burns. - Phased burning inside affected area: County leaders said the affected area will be split into east and west zones with further subsections; piles will be burned only after Texas Task Force 1 and search teams have cleared them (some piles have been searched four to five times for possible human remains), and after piles are removed or cleared for burning.

Assistance, coordination and funding - State and federal coordination: Officials said the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), TxDOT and state contractors are on site; a Joint Information Center (JIC) coordinates public communications among the city, county and state. The county has applied for FEMA public-assistance and the court voted to submit that request unanimously. - SBA loans and other relief: County staff reported that the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest disaster loans (the county cited an example rate of about 2.81% for 30-year terms) and encouraged affected residents and businesses to register for assistance. Officials also described the formation of a Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) led by local civic and economic development leaders, with the Kerr Economic Development Corporation and Kerr Together as core participants, to coordinate economic recovery planning.

Scale and local impacts cited by officials and residents - Reported damage counts and costs: Commissioners cited more than 40 homes with significant damage in the Center Point area plus roughly 30 properties needing debris cleanup; an additional roughly 25 severely damaged homes were reported in the Kerrville portion of Precinct 2. Parks (Lions Park and Flat Rock Park) suffered severe damage, and volunteer groups are proposing rebuild plans that will require court approval because county parks are under county control. - Market-value estimate: County officials cited an estimated approximate reduction of about $240,000,000 in fair-market value on property rolls; officials cautioned that revenue impacts and budget planning remain fluid.

Public comment and requests - A resident urged county leaders to press the state to use its economic stabilization fund for local recovery, saying the state fund holds $30 billion and should be tapped for local economic stabilization. County officials said they are in contact with state representatives and emphasized the sequence required to preserve FEMA eligibility while pursuing other funding streams.

What remains unresolved: officials said debris removal and phased burning in the most affected sections could take weeks; the county does not yet have firm timetables for private-property debris collection beyond the right‑of‑entry rollout. County staff and the LTRG will continue to post updates via the county and city websites and Facebook pages.

Sources: statements during Kerr County Commissioners Court public meeting; county staff briefings and public comments.