HUNT, Texas – It’s been nearly a year since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, and many families are just barely getting adjusted to their new lives.
Sports coach Michelle McGuire said the night of July 3, 2025, began peacefully, sharing a photo from her backyard.
“It’s so beautiful here. I’m so grateful. I love where I live,” McGuire said in the photo.
Hours later, she woke up to the sound of water rushing into her bedroom.
“I jump off the bed, and then I’m in chest-deep water,” McGuire said. “That creaking, crashing sound was the water coming through the front door.”
McGuire said the water rose above her shoulders. A surge pushed her out of the house, sweeping her toward the river in the dark and cold.
She swam to a 12-foot retaining wall and watched debris — including her truck — float past.
“OK, God, I need some help here,” she recalled, saying she prayed and focused on surviving until daylight, when the water finally dropped.
“At that point, I realized, I’m 30 feet up, and I had no idea,” McGuire said.
In the months since, McGuire said she has tried to hold onto what mattered most.
“I lost everything that night, but not my faith,” she said, describing her recovery as “a story of hope” and of people showing up for one another.
With the help of a case manager, McGuire moved into a home overlooking Hunt. In February, she purchased her first home, which was something she never expected.
McGuire now says the disaster has reshaped her priorities and her purpose, inspiring a new career path focused on helping other survivors because she can relate.
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