Swift-moving floodwater destroyed or heavily damaged 135 homes in Kerr County, Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday from Kerrville after taking a helicopter survey of affected areas and receiving a briefing by state and area officials.
Water that surged over the banks of the Guadalupe River last week also damaged 490 homes and about 100 businesses in Kerr County, Abbott said.
“For Kerr County, the majority of impacted residents are owner-occupied single-family homes indicating a substantial need for long-term housing, recovery, repair and rebuilding assistance,” Abbott said during a news conference.
The Guadalupe River downstream of Kerrville peaked at 37.08 feet in Comfort and is now around 5 feet, he said.
“Almost all rivers in this region hit record highs,” Abbott said, adding that in Kerrville, last week’s floods were worse than the July 2025 floods that had a far higher death toll.
For areas where the floodwater has passed, Abbott said the focus has shifted to debris removal and rebuilding, but he added that downstream flooding remains a concern for Cotulla, Tilden and Carrizo Springs.
“Just because the skies may be clear here right now doesn’t mean that the aggregation of water that’s flowing downstream has peaked. Downstream the waters will continue to rise and continue to pose dangers for those local communities,” Abbott said.
Looking ahead, the state is preparing for a tropical system developing in the gulf that is expected to hit the Texas coast Friday morning, said Janice Maldonado, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston.
“We’re all watching the tropics right now, we’re getting into the hurricane season,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, “and make sure that all agencies and assets and resources are available.”
This article first appeared in The Texas Tribune.
Insurtech Hippo posted net income for the second quarter 2026 of $10.1 million compared with about $1.3 million for the period a year ago.
For the first six months of 2026, net income at the San Jose, California-based insurer was $17.2, reversing a loss of $46.4 million at the same point in 2025.
Hippo President and CEO Rick McCathron said the results are “a proof point of the value Hippo brings to both its partners and customers.” The company credited improvements to underwriting and scale. Net premium written (NPW) increased more than 71% to $183.2 million in Q2.
Hippo stepped up its commercial multiperil and casualty writings in Q2. Casualty NPW was $35 million compared with $1.5 million for Q2 2025. Commercial multiperil NPW jumped 95% to $50.7 million.
“The overall growth strategy is focused on improving underwriting profitability and reducing volatility, including through greater portfolio diversification,” Hippo said in its earnings statement.