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Kerr County officials outline recovery steps after July flood, urge residents to file I STATs
Summary
County leaders described extensive courthouse flooding, office relocations and a multi-agency recovery effort; emergency manager reported 1,501 I STAT submissions, including 47 destroyed structures and 310 major structures, and urged residents to allow data sharing to speed aid.
Kerr County's commissioners court spent the July 27 meeting focused on recovery after the July 16 flash flooding that inundated the county courthouse and damaged roads, bridges and hundreds of private properties.
The county judge said the courthouse basement reached roughly seven feet of water and remains contaminated, forcing the court to relocate operations to the Hill Country Youth Event Center and other annexes. "We have to pass those 3 tests: asbestos, mold, smell," the judge said, describing the county’s staged plan for declaring floors safe for staff and the public. The judge estimated the first floor could be accessible "at least a month" and said basement remediation could take a year or more.
Emergency management coordinator Shori Harmon told the court the county’s EOC remains activated and recovery partners are coordinating services. "There are currently 1,501 I STAT submissions to include 47 destroyed and 310 major structures," Harmon said, noting that ISTAT and PSTAT assessments are being used to prioritize resources and support state and federal assistance requests. Harmon also said TxDOT had begun vegetative debris pickup on state routes and that multiple disaster recovery centers and volunteer organizations are providing case management, muck-out, feeding and sheltering.
Long-term recovery partners are converting I STAT submissions into actionable work orders to match residents with volunteers and contractors. Todd Bach of Kerr Together urged residents who file I STATs to select the data-sharing option so volunteer organizations can receive the information needed to deploy resources and track unmet needs. "I would encourage everyone to please allow your information to be shared," Bach said.
County leaders repeatedly emphasized the importance of filing I STAT and PSTAT forms even for seemingly minor damage, saying the aggregated data strengthens requests for expanded federal aid. Officials also warned that the current federal declaration is Category B (emergency response and temporary repairs) and thus does not automatically cover permanent individual assistance; additional advocacy may be required to secure broader federal help.
The court scheduled follow-up workshops and directed staff to keep recovery information updated on the county website and at the local recovery hub at 98 Coronado.
