Ark gets $400K for flood recovery; costly work still to be done
Members of the Capital Area Housing Finance Corp. pose for a photo with government officials and Ark of Highland Lakes leaders after a $400,000 donation for flood recovery efforts. Pictured are Blanco County Judge Brett Bray (left), Bastrop County Commissioner Clara Beckett, Capital Area Council of Governments Director of Homeland Security Martin Ritchey, Ark of Highland Lakes directors Rachel and Kevin Naumann, Burnet County Judge Bryan Wilson, CAHFC Executive Director Andrea Shields, and former CAHFC Executive Director Jim Shaw. Courtesy photo
Ark of Highland Lakes recently received a $400,000 donation from the Capital Area Housing Finance Corp. to help with ongoing flood recovery efforts in the Highland Lakes. It has been over two months since the Fourth of July weekend disaster, but costly work, estimated at around $4 million, still needs to be done, according to Ark leaders.
The major donation came from the CAHFC’s Disaster Fund, which was created in 2011 to help with recovery from the Bastrop County wildfires. Board members from Burnet, Caldwell, Bastrop, and Blanco counties each successfully applied for $100,000 to help fund Ark’s plans to repair and replace the homes of flood-impacted Burnet County residents.
This is the largest donation the CAHFC has ever made. The organization, founded in 1981, addresses workforce and housing needs in Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, and Williamson counties along with the city of San Marcos.
“The devastation the July 2025 floods brought to Burnet County is slowly beginning to heal,” reads a media release from the CAHFC. “But, thanks to significant donations from the (CAHFC), those individuals that experienced damage to their homes from the flooding may soon be getting some relief.”
According to the latest count from Ark of Highland Lakes, more than 450 homes in Burnet County were damaged by the July flood, with the impact ranging from minor dings to complete destruction.
“We are just super grateful, and super blessed,” Ark Executive Director Kevin Naumann told DailyTrib.com. “Those funds are going to go toward helping these families.”
Naumann said about 500 families were affected by the flood and that Ark is working on around 130 open cases, which include replacing fences, RVs, and mobile homes and cleaning up properties.
While the $400,000 donation is sizable, Naumann said around $4 million worth of work remains, which could take years to complete.
“It’s going to be a long-term project,” he said.
Ark of Highland Lakes was founded after the October 2018 flooding of the Colorado and Llano rivers that devastated the Highland Lakes. Originally called the Highland Lakes Crisis Network, the organization is a coalition of local churches and nonprofits that assists the community in the aftermath of disasters such as floods, wildfires, and pandemics.
Hundreds of Ark volunteers donated thousands of hours during the July flood, handing out hot meals, cleaning up homes, and assisting first responders. The organization was designated the official fiduciary agent of Burnet County for long-term disaster recovery in the aftermath of the flood.