Updates

 As with all crises and big events, as time passes, the intensity of the event and the immediate needs begins to shift.

At Gov. Abbott's press conference yesterday, he shared that there were still 161 souls unaccounted for. With more than 110 dead and so many more missing, this crisis has grown to be one of the greatest natural calamities in the State of Texas. Additionally, unlike other disasters that are confined to one area, this one spans many, many miles (the entire Guadalupe River runs some 250 miles)!! The destruction as well runs many, many miles, and bodies have been recovered closer to Leander, which is perhaps 130 miles or so from Hunt. This gives you the idea of the expanse of the search and recovery.

Additionally, the worse point of impact in Hunt, TX is a very small town and the majority of people affected were campers attending camp along the Guadalupe and many vacationers who were there for the July 4th weekend. The vast majority of all these people are no longer there.

The primary focus of ALL agencies is the Search and Recovery in order to bring closure to the families. This is a herculean task to search so many miles of river bed, which is strewn with debris, many large trees, vehicles, and more. Each tree must be cut, moved and then the search crews and cadaver dogs can go in to check for bodies. There are thousands of people, dogs, heavy equipment deployed all around.



Chabad of Boerne together with our partners has been focused on making sure the First Responders and these crews have what they need (proper protection, work related tools and gears, and light machinery). We also continue to respond to any requests for food, medicine, food, clothing, etc. In the last 24 hours we have: sent money via Venmo to people in need, purchased chainsaws for crews, purchased work equipment, helped send crews to understaffed areas, contributed to local area foundations Hill Country Area Foundation, Comfort Area Foundation, Rudkin Productions and others, directly supporting the needs of those impacted.

Thank you to everyone for your continued love and support.

Thank G-d, we have been inundated with calls, emails, and many donations. Thank you to the 400+ individuals that have already donated to this important cause. We have only one goal and mission - to help those affected by this terrible calamity. Thank you, for helping us, help others.

Today we drove out to Comfort, Texas, a small town about 20 minutes from Boerne. The Guadalupe River runs right through it, and here too, we could see the destruction and damage from the flood.

We went to visit some friends in the area, checking up on them, and then made our way to the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department. We met with the fire chief and chaplain and asked what we could do to help. We were able to write a check and help cover the supplies needed immediately for the search and rescue crews. We then offered some prayers for all of our wonderful first responders.
 

Thanks to our friend Justin Mckenzie, we headed over to the donation station at Comfort Park, headed by Maggie Stone of the Comfort Chamber of Commerce and the Comfort Area Relief. We got to see the great they are doing there and were able to contribute to making sure families needing HEB cards for food and supplies would have everything they needed. 

We ended off the day visiting our intake and distribution center at Bunker Branding Co. in Boerne where multiple trucks and trailers were sent out full of supplies in the last two days.

We are grateful to the many partners who have allowed us to partner with them in this vital work. 

(Check out the pictures in the photo section) 

Monday was a busy and productive. Started the morning shopping at Walmart and buying drinks and supplies. Next, we headed to the Bunker Branding Donation Intake Site to drop off a bunch of supplies.

Next, with Deputy Jeff Grossman as my guide, we headed to Kerrville. Our first stop was the Mental Health Clinic who are offering critical mental health support to so many. Afterwards we drove to the Ingram Fire Station. We were notified that although they had plenty of food, there was no refrigerators on site. We called Lowes and purchased a couple of them and had them picked up immediately. We also got to meet and pray with the local Fire Chiefs, firefighters and rescue workers and volunteers. These people are Hashem's angels as they are working non-stop 24 hours a day to locate the missing, and more.

We then headed to the Center Point Fire Station which is located in Center Point, Texas right on the Guadalupe banks. While their fire trucks were spared after being moved to high ground, almost all of their equipment was washed away in the flood that ran about 8 ft high through the building. 

We then headed back to Boerne, while fielding calls on cellphone and in our office, helping people, one at a time. Our day ended with Malkie and I going to donate blood at the South Texas Blood & Tissue donation station in Boerne.

Thanks to all the donations and support, we are able to continue to give to others. 

As donations are rolling in we just received about $1500 in donations.

We immediately went to Walmart and purchased a bunch of supplies and put them on a truck that left today. Unfortunately there is a forecast today for more rain and storms and as such they are shutting down anymore trucks for today and keeping a very close eye on what might become an even more dangerous situation.

 8:45 p.m. Sunday Evening 7/6/25

Incredibly busy day... but finally some traction.

G-d works in mysterious ways. After reaching out to multiple people trying to get some direction of what to do, my friend Boerne Mayor Protem and City Council Member Ty Wolosin, connected me with two very special people; Clint & Jenna Sanders and Bunker Branding company. These incredible people transformed their business and warehouse into a donation center, and organized trailers of supplies with drivers to bring the donated items directly to those in need.

Also, my friend Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz @globalrabbi reached out to me and put me in touch with the chabad.org team who in literally less than one hour had a special website and donation page set up. Chabad Lubavitch HQ PR Office and a series of others all stepped up to start spreading the word.

At the time of this writing two full trailers were packed and sent to help people. More donations are coming in. We are hopeful to continue to send supplies and support in the coming days. a Jewish NGO Search & Rescue Group from Mexico reached out and will be flying in tomorrow to assist in whatever way they can. Dozens of people and organizations have reached out to help. Truly incredible.

In the coming hours and days we will update as to what we can all do to help.