KERRVILLE, Texas – Zack Jurasek was at a loss for words, looking at the damage left behind by the deadly Hill Country floods.
“The power of that water literally just ripped (our kayaks) like a paper towel,” he said.
Jurasek created the company GlowRow, a light-guided kayak tour. Vinny Mifsud runs the Kerrville location of the business. Together on Wednesday, they walked through what was left near the Francisco Lemos Street Bridge.
“The whole business and everything is gone,” Mifsud said. “A lot of stuff goes through your head, but thank God we’re alive.”
The night before the deadly floods, Mifsud was leading a guided tour on the Guadalupe River.
“It started raining a little bit, but then I saw a flash of lightning,” he said. “I started paddling faster, and then I got us to shore.”
Instead of staying in his RV that night next to the river, he took his son back to Pipe Creek. He said that decision saved both of their lives.
“It’s just horrific,” Mifsud said.
His truck, RV, trailer and all of the kayaks washed away during the flood. He was able to find some of the pieces miles downstream.
“We will rebuild,” he said. “It’ll take some time.”
On Wednesday, his property was full of volunteers. Community help has been seen across Kerrville since Friday.
Carmine Fazzolari, the owner of Carmine’s Italian restaurant, has been using his ovens to feed first responders, victims and volunteers since the flood started.
“I just started making (pizza on Friday), and we started running it to the fire departments,” Fazzolari said. “We probably have a couple of weeks of this. We’re prepared for the long haul to do this.”
Fazzolari even dropped off pies to the Mifsud family.
“A lot of people say this is an act of God, but the act of God is people helping people,” Mifsud said.
To help businesses affected by the flood, the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce created a rebuilding and recovery fund. For more information, click here.
More recent coverage of the Hill Country floods on KSAT: