Texans who live in RVs grapple with losing homes, but it’s the loss of community that hurts most : NPR

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The Guadalupe River Valley in Central Texas is a popular location for RVs and mobile homes. Hundreds of RVs were located in parks along the river. Some were permanent fixtures, the only homes their residents had. At least 60 of these stationary RVs were lost when the Guadalupe flooded in the early morning hours of July 4. James Hartley from member station KERA spoke to some of the people who called an RV home. They say they’re still navigating the aftermath.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER FLOWING)

JAMES HARTLEY, BYLINE: Even weeks after the floods, the river rumbles, flowing faster than usual. Next to the river sits the HTR park in Kerrville. Before July 4, this was prime real estate for RVs. It had tennis courts, pools and sat right on the shore. Much of it was destroyed by about 20 feet of water. Now the property is a muddy field littered with tree branches and debris. The only sign that it was ever an RV park are the concrete slabs where the vehicles would sit. That’s where Angie Nevarez was living when flooding started before sunrise on Independence Day.

ANGIE NEVAREZ: I woke up about 2:30 in the morning, and then I saw the fire department looking at the road, looking for the water coming up on the road, and then they asked us to evacuate. It was real scary.

HARTLEY: People who choose to live in these parks do it for the quiet environment and the simplicity of life. On most nights, it’s rare to see even one car drive through the parks. They wake up to birds chirping and only the dull hum of traffic nearby. Many say they stick around because of their neighbors. Many also say it’s cheaper to live in these communities, like Gwynn Gilliam. She says utility expenses are nearly nonexistent, upkeep is cheap and infrequent and she pays around $400 a month for her lot.

GWYNN GILLIAM: I just wanted a simpler, less expensive kind of way to live out, you know, my retirement. So I bought this RV, and it has been – I’ve been here four years, and I love it. You couldn’t dynamite me out of here.

HARTLEY: Gilliam thinks RV life is widely misunderstood. Many imagine it’s all about travel, but that’s not usually the case around here.

GILLIAM: It can be moved if I want to go camping somewhere or whatever, but this is my primary residence.

HARTLEY: She said she made the decision to sell her house in town and buy an RV after her children grew up and moved away. The tight-knit community here is something that Mary Gonzalez likes, too. She lives in the Lone Star Lodges RV Park in Kerrville. It’s a small property, further back from the river and shaded by trees. The sound of traffic from Junction Highway slips over the wooden fence to her home, a dull background noise. Gonzalez said a smaller home means less cleaning, and it’s easier to maintain. Her home was damaged in the downpour, but she didn’t see the river rise into her area.

MARY GONZALEZ: All I could think was, my RV is going to go (laughter). It’s going to fall apart. But no, it’s still there.

HARTLEY: But her neighbors are the main reason she loves this life.

GONZALEZ: You know, it’s different. You know, we’re here to help each other, I guess. Maybe that’s the reason I like it here, you know, ’cause you know you have someone all the time, no matter what.

HARTLEY: Her neighbors have lent a hand by patching up a leak in her roof and helping to dry out water that got inside. She’s thankful her home is still standing. Many aren’t. In the RV park where Nevarez lived, where residents could enjoy the tennis courts or sit out by the river, many of her neighbors don’t have a home anymore. For now, she and her grandson are living in a hotel. She’s doubtful her RV can be salvaged. Like many others, Nevarez didn’t have flood insurance on her home, but FEMA has already visited with her. She’s just waiting to hear back on what assistance she might get.

NEVAREZ: There were so many of us that were affected. I can’t be in such a big hurry because other people were affected more than I was.

HARTLEY: FEMA, which has set up a service center in Kerrville where it’s managing disaster response, has declined multiple interview requests from NPR. A news release from the agency says it can help with temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans for uninsured property. It doesn’t specify whether RVs are included under that assistance, but Nevarez says she was told they are.

No matter what happens, Nevarez says she’ll go back to life in an RV as soon as she can. She already misses those little conversations with neighbors, and she doesn’t want to live without the community that looks out for each other, whether it’s helping fix a busted pipe or just borrowing some sugar.

For NPR News, I’m James Hartley in Kerrville.

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