Written by Fangwen Huang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Adriana DiBenedetto
On July 4, 2025, deadly flood waters raced across Texas’s Hill Country region. In the span of just a few hours, months’ worth of rain had fallen, giving rise to the deadliest inland flooding event in the United States since 1976. Even as news coverage of the disaster waned, Tzu Chi volunteers continued to deliver their care and warmth.
Following relief distributions on July 25 and August 2, Tzu Chi volunteers traveled to another hard-hit area of Texas: Kerrville, in Kerr County, where they held their third aid distribution on August 16 at the Happy State Bank Expo Hall. Thirty-six volunteers participated in the day’s event, which served 17 households, benefiting 34 individuals.
Heartfelt Messages That Endure
Before distribution, Tzu Chi USA’s national headquarters in San Dimas, California, sent text messages to affected households to let them know of the event. To ensure every survivor received the message, Austin Service Center Director Tsang-Bin Wen made phone calls to each household the day before the distribution.
“This may seem simple, but it was a bit challenging, because when the disaster survivors received the call, they might have thought it was a scam. So you have to make them understand our intentions within three seconds, that ‘We are here tomorrow to distribute aid and bring blessings from people around the world.’ You need techniques and sincerity. Although there were issues like unstable connections and language barriers, genuine care is often recognized by the other side of the line. When the residents told me they would come, it always filled my heart with gratitude,” Tsang-Bin Wen shared with deep emotion.
A Relay of Love
The time after a disaster is precisely when Tzu Chi volunteers gather strength and deliver love. With this, volunteers from Tzu Chi’s Houston, Austin, and San Antonio offices traveled four hours, two and a half hours, and one hour, respectively, to the distribution venue. Despite heavy rain and wet road conditions, they pressed on resolutely, determined to deliver aid to those affected.
Daisy Pai, a volunteer from Tzu Chi USA’s San Antonio Service Center, took proactive steps to ensure the distribution’s success. She inspected the site two days in advance and, a day later, drove ninety minutes with her husband to the Tzu Chi Austin Service Center to pick up supplies for the distribution site setup. She and nine other volunteers organized and placed the supplies at the distribution site, allowing all volunteers to get straight to work and ensure a seamless distribution process.
Jacob, from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), provided full assistance and coordination throughout the process, from pre-distribution disaster assessments to on-site setup. He even braved heavy rain on the distribution day to hang Tzu Chi’s banner at the entrance.
Jacob had expressed deep gratitude for Tzu Chi and other partners joining efforts to support the affected families during this tremendously challenging time. He emphasized that this compassion is especially precious in the aftermath of a disaster, as it gives people hope.
A Message of Love
Zoe Walker, president of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Association at the University of Texas, served as the event host. She introduced Tzu Chi and encouraged disaster survivors to sow seeds of compassion in their communities, passing their love to those around them. Walker additionally united volunteers and disaster survivors through a sign language performance of “One Family,” conveying the message of love and community.
Tzu Chi USA Southern Region Executive Director Sean Lo expressed gratitude to the disaster survivors for coming as well, and shared a wish for this compassion to continue so that more people can reach out to help others in need.
A Perilous Experience for Survivors
One couple, James Trolinger and Brenda Espinoza, described the harrowing tale of how they survived the disaster to Tzu Chi volunteers: When they opened the door around 4 AM, the water reached waist-high and rushed into their home. They could only carefully wade through it all, weary of stepping on what they couldn’t see beneath the murky water. The couple held each other’s hands and groped their way upstream in the dark. After traversing about thirty yards of water, they finally climbed up a hill and went to Trolinger’s father’s home. The couple’s home, they later learned, was struck by two floating cars and fractured — completely swept away by the flood within just five to ten minutes.
When Espinoza recalled the moment the disaster hit, she couldn’t keep her tears at bay. She said she was currently staying with friends, but had nothing left but the clothes she was wearing. Although in a deeply difficult situation, she is grateful to be alive, and thankful for the assistance from Tzu Chi.
But we're getting stronger every day, getting stronger. We're used to helping people. We're not used to getting help. So we we're ready to be on that side, we want to give.
As volunteers hugged and comforted Espinosa, they told her that the provided cash card was not just financial aid, but a symbol of the great love from kind-hearted people around the world who wished to help.
Rescue and Regret
Maria Grieser was woken up by the flash of intense lightning at about 3 AM on July 4. Her nephew and his girlfriend, who lived in an RV parked in the front yard, had been trapped in a tree with the water rising to their necks. She and her husband urgently waded through the water to reach them, but stumbled into a muddy area and sank up to six inches. However, they were thankfully able to save the pair with only a flashlight and the light from the lightning. The rescue took them thirty to forty minutes, and they had to gingerly feel their way to avoid stepping on glass or nails.
The flood’s force was so immense that Grieser’s home was struck by a wall of water that was seven feet high. The flood moved the house by about two inches, tore away its roof, and damaged the ground beneath the foundation.
Grieser explained that she didn’t have flood insurance, so even a $1 donation would be helpful. She began describing the disaster with a sense of optimism. Yet, when nearing the hardest part, her voice became thick with emotion. When they were trying to rescue her nephew and his girlfriend, she could clearly hear a young girl’s cries for help nearby, but she was unable to assist her. This left her truly heartbroken.
Resonating with the Tzu Chi Spirit
Steve Ellington mentioned that when he received the call from a stranger, his intuition told him it was related to a compassionate cause, so he agreed to come. He had never heard of Tzu Chi before, so while waiting, he checked out Tzu Chi’s website.
I do my background search on you and read about your founder. And the things I really like are spiritual beliefs that I try to believe. I'm not very good at it, but I’m trying to do something good for somebody every day and not tell anybody about it. Try to be compassionate and help.
“I liked the part when I was reading about [Master Cheng Yen] where she told her new followers to put 50 cents a day, and they said, ‘Well, why can’t I just put in this much every month?’ Because every day I need to be reminded of that. So, what y’all did here today besides help me financially was you helped remind me that I need to do that every day. So all I have to say, really, is thank you for that.”
Reflecting on a Simple Lifestyle
The Baileys live in the severely flood-impacted town of Hunt. Rena Bailey began by saying that her experience with the entire distribution process was very positive. She felt that everyone there genuinely cared about what happened to them, and the event was more united than they had experienced with other groups previously.
However, Marshall struggled to hide his sorrow. “Fifty percent of the trees are gone. Fifty percent of the people are gone. We don’t know where they are,” said Marshall. “Many people had to leave because they have no place to live anymore.” What’s even more heartbreaking for him is that one of his close friends and a friend’s child tragically lost their lives.
According to Marshall’s account of the flood, the wall of water was closer to fifty feet high, not the thirty feet reported. The post office exploded when something massive hit the building, and several five-thousand-gallon fuel tanks floated past him like corks.
Marshall’s house was flooded with three feet of water. Appliances like the refrigerator, dryer, and washing machine were all ruined, and so were the welding machine and compressor in the tool shed. All furniture items were scrapped, the sofa and beds swelled and warped. Everything was piled up in their front yard.
“We are ashamed of all our personal possessions at this point. You’re thinking, ‘Why do I have so many personal possessions?” said Marshall, overwhelmed. “And one week, two weeks into it, there’s bulldozers, and noises, and people, and trucks. And then, there’s an alarm that goes off when they find a body… All these alarms.” He covered his face, overcome by emotion.
A moment of silence fell over the scene. Fangwen Huang clasped his hand tightly, then embraced him, offering comfort from her own experience of losing a loved one. This shared empathy brought some solace to his grief.
Resilience Empowers Hope
This event marked the first time Sophia Lin, a Tzu Chi Collegiate Association volunteer with the UT Austin Chapter, would participate in a disaster relief distribution. She had expected to see widespread destruction and downhearted faces at the distribution site, but what she witnessed was something else: resilience and courage. The determination and tenacity of many disaster survivors to rebuild their homes deeply moved her. Not only were the residents’ stories touching, but the dedication and actions of the volunteers also earned her profound respect.
“The registration desk became my window to interact with the families,” said Lin. “Some spoke to me with heartfelt gratitude, while others silently handed over their ID cards, birth certificates, and proof of residence. Each person has their own way of expressing grief, but when they received the cash cards, bamboo banks, and blankets, the same smile lit up their faces as they left.”
Sophia Lin shared that those smiles filled her heart with warmth, making her realize how precious it is to contribute to even a small fraction of their recovery.
Although the distribution has concluded, the power of compassion continues to expand ever onward. May this cycle of compassion endure and grow, so that it may touch lives near and far.
