Central Texas small businesses question future after devastating floods
Ingram restaurant unsure of future after flooding
A honky tonk in Ingram is unsure of their next steps in business after damage and troubles caused by the devastating floods in Central Texas.
INGRAM, Texas - The owner of a local RV park walked FOX 4 through the horrifying sequence of events that took place last week, throwing the future of their business into question.
Small business affected by flood
On July 3, the best fiddler in town was performing at Howdy's, a honky-tonk along the Guadalupe River.
People danced, as they closed up shop for the night, hours after the unimaginable happened, and now eight days later the owners say they need help.
Ingram's Howdy
Llorena Guillen sat with FOX 4 on the back deck of her restaurant: the place she and her husband bought four years ago as their retirement plan.
What they're saying:
"We have a balcony and we used to go sit there in the morning. We would drink a cup of coffee and see my residents get ready for the day, how beautiful it was, the Guadalupe River. And now all we see is destruction," said Guillen.
She remembers the night before the Fourth of July. The excitement surrounding the next night’s fireworks show, and the love in the air as people danced to live music.
"It was the most beautiful day along the river, everywhere you went," Guillen said.
That all changed when the rain started coming down.
Guillen says early the next morning, she called the sheriff's office and asked about conditions up river, but was told they didn’t know. Thinking it was OK, she went back to sleep.
"If I had evacuated when I thought I should, when I made that call I could have saved a lot of people," Guillen said.
The river quickly rushed onto her property, taking the 20-plus RVs and some people with it.
"How are we ever going to get somebody to sleep near the river again?" Guillen said.
While thankful it wasn’t worse, Guillen lost $3 million worth of property and says she needs help.
"The mailman keeps coming and bringing me bills that have to be paid. I have a mortgage to pay. How are we going to pay our mortgage with no revenue coming in?" Guillen said.
But customers are coming in.
"If everybody just does a little bit or what they can, it all adds up," said customer Mindy Payne.
"I decided to order the most expensive thing on the menu. I wanted to leave some money, so that's why I chose the ribeye steak," said customer Robert Alvarez.
Which is all Guillen can ask for, because she says at this point all she and others can do is hold out hope that small businesses in Ingram will survive.
What you can do:
Guillen says the best way to help her and other small businesses stay open is to donate money directly to them or churches in the area.
Kerr County Relief Fund
In less than a week, donors all over the world have sent over $30 million to Kerr County for recovery efforts.
On Friday, $5 million was distributed to local agencies for them to use in cleaning and rebuilding after the tragedy.
What you can do:
The Community Foundation, a nonprofit group in the area, launched the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to help support local response, relief and recovery efforts.
All donations will go right to the organizations helping with the emergency.
Those looking to donate can click here.
Resources and donations for those impacted
- Texas flooding: State, county resources, services for those affected
- Texas flooding: Resources for those impacted
- Texas flooding: Businesses, organizations donate to recovery, relief efforts
- Texas flooding: How you can help people in Kerrville
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 interviews with Ingram residents.