A Family's Journey Home After the Texas Floods

A Family’s Journey Home After the Texas Floods

Juan and Alejandra are longtime residents of San Angelo, Texas, where they live with their two young children. On the night of July 4th, as torrential rains overwhelmed the region, Alejandra was doing laundry when she noticed floodwaters rapidly rising outside. At first, she thought it would pass. But within an hour, water was rushing through both the front and back doors of their home, quickly turning the interior into what she described as a “running river.”

Alejandra acted fast. She woke up Juan, and they started elevating their belongings as quickly as they could. As the flood continued to swell, she and Juan made the difficult decision to evacuate with their sleeping children. They briefly sheltered at a neighbor’s house before attempting to reach Juan’s parents’ home; however, floodwaters had made most roads impassable. After hours of navigating through blocked streets, the family finally found safety at a hotel early that morning.

Returning home

TX floods_JA home before — Juan and Alejandra piled clothes, furniture, and any other household items they could salvage in their living room and bedrooms after the floodwater subsided.

TX floods_JA home before 2 — Juan and Alejandra piled clothes, furniture, and any other household items they could salvage in their living room and bedrooms after the floodwater subsided.

JA TX floods mold — After clearing our the family's belongings, CORE's team discovered black mold growing in their walls.

When they returned days later, their home was covered in thick mud. They did everything they could to make the space livable, scrubbing the floors and wiping down walls. On the surface, the home appeared clean. But signs of water damage began to emerge: crumbling drywall, the faint scent of mold, and worsening health symptoms in their children. Behind the cleaned surfaces, hidden moisture had fostered mold growth within the walls.

With Juan working long shifts that kept him away for days at a time, and limited knowledge about support resources, the family was overwhelmed. Despite their best efforts, they could not safely clean the home on their own, nor could they afford to replace flood-damaged items like mattresses and furniture. They admitted they were holding onto items they knew should be thrown away, simply because they had no other options.

That’s when CORE stepped in.

Local partners referred Alejandra to CORE, and we quickly arranged for our team to inspect her home. The family secured temporary storage for their belongings, and CORE helped them move everything out, clearing the ceiling-high piles of salvaged plushies, bathroom products, and clothes that covered multiple rooms inside their home. Once all the drywall was removed, our team confirmed extensive black mold growth. After days of intense work, the home was fully gutted (stripped down to the studs of the walls and the subfloor) and prepared for the next phase of recovery.

The road ahead

Juan and Alejandra are capable and committed homeowners. Spanish is their primary language, and although they were initially hesitant to seek help, they ultimately realized the scale of the damage was too great to manage without support. The relief of having this work completed has been transformative. With the most hazardous conditions now addressed, the family can plan for repairs and begin to rebuild their lives.

They’ve expressed deep gratitude not only to CORE, but to the churches and community groups that have helped them since the flood. They shared that while they’ve felt largely overlooked by formal government aid, knowing that people cared enough to show up made all the difference.

The family’s journey has not been easy—three of their nine dogs are still missing since the night of the flood, despite ongoing searches and outreach to shelters and rescue groups. Like many other families, the emotional and financial toll of this disaster has been immense. But with their home now safe, Juan and Alejandra are moving forward together. They plan to stay in San Angelo, rebuild their home, and continue being part of a community they love—one they’ve also given back to by fostering animals and helping neighbors in need.

The devastating floods in Central Texas demonstrate a dangerous new normal, where severe weather events upend lives overnight, and the recovery process stretches on for months or even years after, especially for marginalized and underserved communities.

In the wake of the Texas floods and other disasters around the world, your support can make all the difference for families like Juan and Alejandra’s fighting to recover and rebuild. By donating to CORE’s Emergency Fund, you can ensure our team can support the rapidly changing needs of communities in crisis without interruption—and help them build resilience in the face of future disasters.