The Texas Newsroom and PBS' FRONTLINE are collaborating on a new five-part podcast series, After the Flood, an intimate and deeply reported look at the catastrophic Central Texas flooding that killed more than 130 people over the Fourth of July weekend in 2025.
Launching June 24 wherever you get your podcasts, the series follows survivors, families and communities across the Texas Hill Country and beyond as they rebuild their lives in the aftermath of one of the deadliest floods in Texas history.
https://kutkutx.studio/category/after-the-flood
Known as "Flash Flood Alley," the region is no stranger to fast-moving waters. But what unfolded over the July 4, 2025, holiday weekend was unlike anything residents had experienced. Torrential rain and rapidly rising floodwaters swept away homes, devastated communities and claimed entire families with little warning.
Over the last year, reporters from The Texas Newsroom — the collaboration among all the public radio stations in the state and NPR — have followed survivors and families grappling with unimaginable loss, unanswered questions and the long road to recovery.
Listeners will hear from:
- Matthew Childress, the father of a counselor who died at Camp Mystic, as he reflects on grief, anger and healing after the tragedy
- Residents of Bumble Bee Hills, who helped rescue neighbors as floodwaters overtook their community
- Families in Sandy Creek community near Austin, who lost everything in flooding the day after the Kerr County disaster and felt largely forgotten in the broader public response
- Survivors and local leaders pushing for accountability, improved emergency systems and stronger flood preparedness across Texas
Along the way, the series explores why the Hill Country remains vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, what officials knew about the region's risks, how emergency response systems performed during the disaster and whether reforms enacted since then are sufficient to prevent future tragedies.
"The first days of a disaster are only part of the story," said Dominic Anthony Walsh, host and lead reporter of After the Flood. "Recovery unfolds over months and years. By returning repeatedly to these communities, we were able to document how grief evolves, how people rebuild their lives, and why many residents believe important questions about preparedness and accountability remain unresolved."
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