The Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country has again left its banks and flooded an area that is still recovering from July 2025 flash floods that killed 139 people.
We recently wrote about radio stations in Kerrville, Texas, and their recovery efforts from the previous storms, but this week’s flooding has opened old wounds and brought new challenges to a community battling flood fatigue.
Justin McClure, owner and CEO of Jam Broadcasting, said his radio stations are on the air.
“We did have a big power outage here during the floods because debris took out some of the electrical infrastructure around town. The poles were replaced and they got everything back online pretty quickly,” McClure told Radio World in an email.
“What a crazy thing to have happen not once, but twice in about a year,” he continued. “Luckily, this time, the loss of life was not near what it was in the last flood.”
The San Antonio Express-News reported that there were two fatalities and 230 that needed to be rescued from the flooding that swept through the area this week. Slow moving thunderstorms dumped multiple inches of rain on the area early Thursday.
Jam Broadcasting, which includes three FM stations and one AM station, is on air and once again relaying emergency communications from the city officials to the public, McClure said.
“The Emergency Alert System worked as it should and we relayed multiple EAS leading up to the flooding event,” he said.
The economic impact from the latest flooding is another setback for community and his radio stations, McClure explained.
“Some of our downtown businesses flooded out again.
“I honestly don’t know how we’ll survive this economic impact on our community. Last year was our worst financially regarding advertising revenue after the floods,” he said.
In addition to the Guadalupe, other rivers and tributaries across Texas Hill Country suffered widespread flooding this week, McClure says. Some surrounding communities in the area, located just northwest of San Antonio, suffered more damage than Kerrville this time.
“Sometimes when things seem so overwhelming, the hardest thing is just to get started. We already started a year ago, now we just have to find the strength to continue what we started.
“A few steps forward and a few steps back. It’s super heavy on our communities, but we have learned a lot and are going to step up to that challenge,” he said.
A representative with Ranch Radio Marketing Group in Kerrville said the flooding caused some “initial issues” with operations but that its five FM stations are on air Friday July 17.
Several employees of the radio group suffered flood damage to their homes, according to an email from Ranch Radio Group.
Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email [email protected].
