People affected by flash flooding this summer in the Hill Country say they hope state lawmakers will pass bills to help with recovery during the second special session. Governor Greg Abbott called for a session to start at 12 p.m. Friday.
Among items on the agenda are camp safety, flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, and relief funding.
On a Zoom organized by Texas House Democrats Ann Johnson and Armando Walle, people affected by the floods said they are still waiting on debris removal. They say they will also need help starting to rebuild and with mental health.
"We are not asking for handouts, we are asking for a government that works," says Kylie Nidever who says flood waters entered 28 of 33 homes in her neighborhood.
Keli Rabon lives in Houston but says her two sons were camping in the Hill Country.
"I dropped everything and raced to the Hill Country terrified," she says. "My seven year old, Brock, fresh out of kindergarten, survived only because his teenaged counselors lifed him from the bottom bunk to the top bunk and then put him into the rafters as the cabin fell apart. My nine year old son, who had spent the last two summers in that very cabin, thank goodness this year he was in a higher cabin up on a hill, but for twelve excrutiating hours, he didn't know if his little brother was even alive."
Rabon says her kids are physically safe but are dealing with the mental health impact of the trauma.
"Brock now scans every room for high ground. He checks the weather obsessively and wakes from nightmares about water pouring from the ceiling," she says.
They both say they worry political gamesmanship is now slowing down recovery.
While the legislature has reconvened for a second special session, they say the governor could use the Texas Disaster Act to release money immediately even without legislative action.
"To me, that seems like a choice," Rabon says. "We should remember both parties have work to do."
FEMA announced federal disaster assistance would be available July 6. Eleven counties are part of a federal disaster declaration.
"This approval will help Texas families and communities rebuild after the catastrophic floods that impacted so many Texans across our state," Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a statement announcing the approval July 30. "Texas will continue to work closely with local and federal officials to ensure every affected community has the resources and support they need to heal and rebuild."
A complete rundown of the special session agenda is available at https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/PROC_second_called_session_89th_legislature_IMAGE_08-15-25.pdf.