Hunt – Nearly a year after catastrophic flooding devastated parts of the Texas Hill Country, signs of recovery are everywhere.
Homes are being rebuilt. Businesses are reopening. Communities are finding ways to move forward.
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But for many who lived through the disaster, the memories remain as vivid as ever.
On July 1, KPRC 2 premieres After the Storm: The flood that changed the Hill Country, a documentary exploring the flood, the rescue efforts, the recovery, and the people whose lives were forever changed.
Over the past year, KPRC 2 traveled across Kerr County, interviewing first responders, survivors, business owners, meteorologists, and community leaders to better understand not only what happened, but what has happened since.
Among those voices are John and Vikki Dunn, owners of the iconic Hunt Store.
The heart of a community
For nearly 80 years, the Hunt Store has served as far more than a convenience store.
“It’s really the only year-round, consistent food, fuel and community gathering space,” John Dunn said.
The store has long functioned as the social center of Hunt — a place for family reunions, community meetings, birthday parties, Bible studies, and generations of campers returning summer after summer.
“The store became the anchor of the Hunt community,” Dunn said.
When floodwaters tore through Hunt, the store suffered catastrophic damage. Walls were ripped away. Parts of the structure were destroyed.
Yet somehow, some of its most recognizable features survived.
“The two main doors that everybody associates with the Hunt Store have been here forever,” Vikki Dunn said. “They survived.”
The iconic fireplace survived, along with several of the historic cypress tables.
Even portions of the distinctive stone walls remain standing.
“Those walls are what identify the Hunt Store,” Vikki said. “The Hunt Store is what is most identifiable to Hunt.”
More than a business
The Dunns say the flood reinforced what the Hunt Store has always meant to the community.
When recovery efforts began, the property became a gathering place for volunteers, fuel deliveries, emergency equipment, and disaster response operations.
“This was really the command center for flood recovery,” John Dunn said.
The recovery effort also inspired a phrase that has become synonymous with the community’s resilience:
“Hunt Strong.”
Community members salvaged letters from the damaged Hunt Store sign and rearranged them into a message that reflected their determination to rebuild.
“We adopted ‘Hunt Strong’ because we knew we would come back,” Vikki Dunn said.
The slogan remains a symbol of recovery throughout the community today.
Stories of survival and recovery
The documentary also includes firsthand accounts from a first responder who arrived as floodwaters surged through the region.
Sgt. Tyler Cottonware, one of the first law enforcement officers on scene, recalls realizing the magnitude of the disaster.
“There was nobody out here,” he said. “It was me.”
His account details rooftop rescues, survivors clinging to safety, and the challenges first responders faced during the chaotic first hours of the flood.
The documentary also explores the weather conditions that created the disaster, the questions that emerged afterward, and the long road to recovery that continues today.
Looking ahead
While rebuilding remains ongoing, both John and Vikki Dunn believe the future of Hunt remains strong.
“We will rebuild,” Vikki said. “There’s no question. This is the heart and soul of Hunt.”
For John Dunn, the recovery of the community and the recovery of the Hunt Store are deeply connected.
“Hunt will not get back to normal until the Hunt Store is back,” he said.
One year later, the scars remain visible across the Hill Country.
So does the resilience.
Through powerful interviews, personal stories, and months of reporting, After the Storm: The flood that changed the Hill Country examines the disaster that changed a community — and the people working every day to ensure it is never defined by tragedy alone.