Walking us through his home along the bank of the Guadalupe, Scott Allen’s quick to note that not much has changed since we saw it last back in late August. “We said initially… I don’t know how we even said it. I feel silly. We said Memorial Day, by Memorial Day 2026. Now that seems ridic ulous to me now, and we’re not alone, by the way,” said Allen. “As I said to you last time, or I tried to say, many people had it far worse than we did.” Back then, Allen shared the story of how he used his shotgun to gain access to the portion of his home with a second story. He said the water rose so quickly that the doors wouldn’t open. His wife had the idea to shoot out the window across the breezeway. “The furniture was all floating,” he said. Standing in a room now stripped to the studs, Allen points to where the drywall’s been cut out on the floor above, showing where the water rose to the top of the stairs. Like many in Kerr County, where more than $ 1 billion of damage was reported, Allen and his wife have grown used to living alongside construction. He said they won’t return to the home they escaped. Instead, they’ll make a guest house at the front of the property their primary residence. For now, they’re living upstairs as they wait for construction downstairs to wrap up in the next month or so. The house by the water likely won’t be ready for kids and grandkids to visit until the end of the year. “When we think of July 4th, we’ll always remember that night. I don’t think I could help but do that,” he said. Still, Allen said this one-year mark brings a sense of normalcy and a focus on the faith that’s carried them through. “When you encounter trials in life, you’re supposed to count it as all joy, because the testing of your faith produces patience and you should be patient and steadfast. So that’s what I’m trying to do, that’s what my wife’s trying to do, and I think that’s what everyone in this community is trying to do,” said Allen. According to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, 228 households have either returned to permanent housing or are on an active pathway to recovery. ...read more read less