How Texas Hill Country businesses are rebuilding after floods
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Kevin Grona's Kerrville business, AV Solutions, was damaged in last month's flooding. Photos: Courtesy of Kevin Grona
Last month's flooding in the Texas Hill Country caused hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of damage for small business owners, many of whom were still rebuilding after last year's deadly flooding.
Why it matters: Small businesses are often the lifeblood of a community and help keep the local economy moving — and this year they're looking inward to support each other a little extra.
State of play: San Antonio-based LiftFund, a nonprofit that supports small businesses, opened a flood relief grant program on July 17, the day after devastating floods hit Kerrville and surrounding communities along the Guadalupe River.
- The program offered grants of up to $10,000 each to support recovery efforts. Amy Hereford, LiftFund CEO, tells Axios it closed quickly — they could tell within the week there was more demand than money available.
- Last week, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said it will give $5 million to LiftFund to offer more grants to eligible small businesses in Kerr County. LiftFund then opened another program, with grants up to $50,000. Applications are open through Aug. 20.
Reality check: LiftFund saw the number of flood-impacted business owners seeking their help more than double from 2025 to 2026, Hereford says.
- The scope of this year's flooding hit spots that weren't affected last year.
- The nonprofit has awarded grants to 74 businesses so far and is still reviewing applications from the first round, per LiftFund.
What they're saying: "These are the familiar places where people connect," Hereford says of small businesses. "When they disappear, the entire community becomes less stable."
Between the lines: While $10,000 isn't enough for a full recovery, the money can help fill a crucial gap before any federal loans arrive.
- That can make the difference between making payroll to prop up employees, or having to immediately close, Hereford says.
By the numbers: Kevin Grona tells Axios he lost around $60,000 worth of inventory from his Kerrville business AV Solutions, which has installed home entertainment and audio systems for 28 years.
- He'll have to completely rebuild his office and storefront, which could cost around $250,000.
- He received a grant from LiftFund's first round and is applying to the second round, he says.
Zoom in: Grona woke up around 3am on July 16, and immediately knew the water levels he saw around Kerrville were different. He drove into town to check on his business and saw the building had floated into the middle of the street. There was a tree inside, he says.
- While his barn and yard back home sustained some damage, it was his Main Street business that took the brunt of the impact.
Still, he considers himself lucky — he was able to get more inventory and resume business operations in about a week, and the building isn't essential to his home installations.
- Another local business offered him a place to store inventory, while sellers offered him discounts.
The bottom line: "Sometimes these disasters make us appreciate the things we have, and hope that one day we can help everybody else," Grona says.
- "And that's what we're going to do right now ... just help the other people in the community."