Written by Fangwen Huang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ariel Tsai
The Tzu Chi USA Austin Service Center held a relief distribution at its office on August 2, 2025. Relief supplies and cash cards were provided to 47 survivors from 13 affected families in Travis and Williamson Counties, for a total distribution of $10,000.
Texas experienced deadly flooding on July 4. Most of the deaths happened in Kerr County in the western part of Texas, but Travis and Williamson counties also witnessed heavy rains that caused creeks and rivers to overflow. Sandy Creek and the San Gabriel River areas are the worst hit. Urban runoff and small drainage basins caused floodwaters to rise quickly. Residential areas without adequate early warning systems were particularly vulnerable to such a situation.
The government declared a state of emergency due to the disaster. The federal government provided support and launched search-and-rescue operations. But for the residents, rebuilding their lives will be a long and arduous journey.
Never Giving Up on Relief Efforts
Volunteers of Tzu Chi USA’s Southern Region Office and Austin Service Center traveled to Burnet County in central Texas on July 26 and completed the first distribution, which benefitted 41 households. A second distribution for Travis and Williamson County disaster survivors was originally scheduled for that afternoon at the Austin Service Center’s office facility, but it was delayed because the registry wasn’t available on time.
It wasn’t until July 30th that Sean Lo, Executive Director of Tzu Chi USA’s Southern Region, finally obtained a list of 49 households from the Texas Department of Emergency Management. As soon as the information was available, Austin Service Center Director Tsang-Bin Wen immediately decided to hold the distribution on August 2. The Austin Service Center’s office was selected as the distribution venue, making it easy for the affected residents to receive the relief supplies.
Twenty-five volunteers, including seven Tzu Chi Collegiate Association (Tzu Ching) volunteers and one Tzu Chi Youth Association (Tzu Shao) volunteer, were mobilized for the day’s distribution, which is the first disaster relief distribution held at the Center’s office facility.
From Skepticism to Emotion
Teresa Ruebbling lives in a mobile home park in South Austin. Several large cedar trees in her yard fell when the flood hit, crushing her roof and causing severe damage. As the rain poured through the holes, the plywood, insulation, and roof tiles were all damaged, and the house’s living space was completely lost. Since then, she had to seek refuge at her daughter-in-law’s house whenever there was a rainstorm, because the bedroom leaked so badly that she couldn’t sleep at night. She said, “We’ve had damage from previous storms, but no other organizations would help.”
When she received the text message notifying her of Tzu Chi’s distribution, she was skeptical; she even called 311 to verify the information. “I didn’t feel comfortable, so I called 311. They were able to confirm that it was a legit organization. So yeah, I came.”
As she arrived at the Region’s office before lunch, volunteers warmly welcomed her and invited her to lunch. They also listened attentively as she described how her house was damaged. Though she rarely cries, she became emotional when the sign language song, “One Family,” played during the event.
I try not to be emotional. But I think the song that y'all played out there, it brought my emotions out, it made me cry.
“I’m the only one dealing with it, and no one wanted to help, or no one could help. And it was just getting worse and worse. So, I’m very grateful, very grateful for any help,” said Teresa, with tears in her eyes.
All Possessions Taken Away by the Flood
Jackson Cassady lived on the outskirts of Leander near the San Gabriel River. He and his beloved dog, Prancer, were in their trailer home on the night the flood struck. As the floodwater rose rapidly in the darkness, they had little time to react. He recalled that the water came up so fast that “it took my car, and my home, and everything.”
As the floodwater poured into his home, Jackson couldn’t carry his dog Prancer out, so the dog swam desperately behind him. “My immediate concern was for my neighbors. I have elderly living near me, single mothers, a family who doesn’t speak English… And I immediately went to start to call, but I couldn’t finish a sentence because I got so choked up.”
It was not until the third day after the disaster that he finally found the strength to leave his home and head to Sandy Creek Park to help with cleanup. At that moment, he told himself he had to bring external resources to encourage his neighbors, “I have been telling people there’s help there. Don’t lose hope.”
When he received Tzu Chi’s text message, his first thought was, “How did they get my number?” But he still looked up Tzu Chi’s website and was surprised that it provided a Spanish-language version. He is fluent in Spanish and feels a special connection.
I was very impressed. One of the videos said, "Many of the people that you help turn around and help the cause.
Jackson greatly appreciated the financial aid provided by Tzu Chi. He said that the relief funds he received from the Red Cross have already been shared with a friend for his medical expenses.
“Every bit counts, every drop of love, right? I would like to help as this goes. And I’m so glad to learn about [Tzu Chi].”
Homes Destroyed, Gratitude Kept
“We’re all safe, really, that’s what matters.” These were Michael Hale’s first words after his home was damaged.
When the flood struck on July 5th, Michael, his wife Judy, and their two children were away celebrating the holiday, sparing them from personal danger. However, their Liberty Hill home, built along the Little Gabriel River, suffered catastrophic consequences.
“We ended up having three 3 and 1/2 feet of water into the home. What we really didn’t expect was that all the furniture was turned upside down, rearranged. Stuff from one bedroom was in another room. Stuff in the garage was in the master bathroom”. After the flood receded, it left ankle-deep mud on everything he owned. They didn’t even have toothbrushes, toothpaste, or towels; everything was ruined, making normal life impossible for them.
Michael’s family temporarily stayed at his father’s house. He drove two hours each way to clean up his home. They only had three sets of clothes prepared for the July 4th holiday, and they had to wash them every night to rotate. They were able to buy daily necessities with the cash card given by Tzu Chi. He gratefully said, “The thing is, your organization’s gift card made it nice.”
Church volunteers also came to help. They took off the mud-covered clothes and washed up. They then carefully folded them, put them in boxes, and returned to Michael. They even put dryer sheets in the box to make it smell better. All the help deeply moved Michael.
That kind of community support, I mean, it was unbelievable… Because these organizations, like yourself, you've seen it; you move around all over the world, you know what people need. It’s going to be a process, but at the same time, again, you know, we just keep reminding ourselves that we're lucky.
Experiencing the Severity of Disaster
Even though it was still summer vacation, Tzu Ching volunteers at the University of Texas, Austin, were actively involved in the disaster relief effort. Seven student volunteers who participated in the distribution stepped into disaster zones for the first time and experienced the severity of the disaster as they encountered the survivors.
Zoe Walker is the President of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Association (TCCA) chapter at UT Austin. She attended Tzu Chi Academy Dallas when she was a child and often watched videos of Tzu Chi’s international disaster relief efforts. “[I] never really thought that it would hit somewhere close to home and I would actually get the chance to be involved in it,” said Zoe.
Zoe immediately contacted her Tzu Chi advisor to inquire about volunteering after the disaster. And after she participated in the Burnet County relief operation, she deeply felt that “It’s during these disasters when communities really come together to help each other out.”
It was always really touching to hear the stories of the survivors of the disaster, to see pictures, and to talk about how it's really sad that these disasters happen. I'm very glad that, as a Tzu Chi volunteer, I was able to come and be a part of that and be there to support the survivors of the disaster in our local area.
Tzu Ching volunteer Angelica Chu has been with Tzu Chi since she was a child. This is her second time participating in distributions. She shared, “I had heard about it many times, but I had never had the opportunity to actually help these people myself.”
Angelica has participated in two disaster relief activities. The first was in Burnet County, where she served in the registration team. She shares that, when interacting one-on-one with disaster survivors, “They also shared a lot about their homes with me. When I saw it, my heart broke. It was really hard to imagine that such a nice house, filled with so many memories, was just gone because of the flooding.” The second was the distribution at the Austin Service Center office, where she helped verify the cash card amount.
I truly feel that what we are doing is a good thing, and it has helped many people. Seeing people's smiles makes me very happy.
Angelica said, “I am very happy to have participated this time and experienced it firsthand. I think today was also a way to help others and do my part.”
The disaster has brought everyone closer, whether it was the disaster survivors wading through mud or the volunteers extending a helping hand. Tzu Chi accompanied affected families in rebuilding their lives through compassion and practical assistance and has given the younger generation the opportunity to learn firsthand that “doing good knows no age, and warmth is always there in the event of a disaster.”
