NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – It’s been nearly a month since catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country.
For businesses along the Guadalupe River, the impact is still being felt.
What we know:
July is usually the busiest month for river outfitters in central Texas, but this summer looks very different for businesses like Whitewater Sports.
The waters of the Guadalupe River, typically buzzing with summer activity, are noticeably quieter this year.
It’s the lingering impact of the devastating flooding that swept through the Texas Hill Country over the July 4th weekend.
Whitewater Sports, a popular tubing outfitter along the river, is feeling the effects.
Texas tubing
What they’re saying:
Tubing manager, Anna Hettinger, says July usually brings in 60 to 70% of their annual revenue, but this year, the company says the flooding has scared away its visitors.
“You could typically walk on people with tubes. That’s how busy it is. There’s not a wall of tubes that you can see. It’s pretty slow,” said Hettinger.
“Before the big catastrophic flood that Kerrville experienced, we had about 850 people float with us, and now it’s only down to like 300 or 200 people floating with us on like a Saturday.”
Hettinger says it’s the slowest summer they’ve seen since COVID.
Local perspective:
And it’s not just them, neighboring businesses and even the Comal River are feeling the ripple effects.
The company is urging the community to know the river is open and safe to enjoy.
Adding to the challenge: a huge offseason for the business.
“It’s about. Eight months and we still need to be able to pay our bills, um, pay our employees, keep things up today, get buses running, that kind of thing. So, we do rely on these tourists heavily to come visit us or even locals to come visit us and spend time on the river,” said Hettinger.
As the month comes to a close, Hettinger says she’s doing her best to keep the staff on and spirits high.
“We’ve been open since the flood happened. It’s just to continue to come out and support our different companies around the area. So that way they can thrive,” said Hettinger.
What’s next:
Whitewater Sports says it has a fundraiser going to help the victims of the flooding.
More info can be found HERE.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from an interview conducted by FOX 7’s Jenna King.
Great Job Jenna.King@fox.com (Jenna King) & the Team @ Latest News | FOX 7 Source link for sharing this story.
