Max Chesnes is the Tampa Bay Times' environment and climate reporter, covering public lands, water quality, wildlife and everything in between. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Instagram @MaxChesnes. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here.

The Fourth of July flooding had an outsized effect not just on the Hill Country but also on rain-starved Texas cities like San Antonio and Austin.

Gov. Greg Abbott wrote a letter Wednesday morning instructing flags on state property to immediately be lowered statewide.

From fundraisers and benefits to nonprofit organizations doing the hard work, here's a list of ways to help victims of the July 4 weekend floods.

The record of frequent, often deadly floods in Central Texas goes back more than 200 years to July 1819, when floodwaters spilled into the major plazas of San Antonio. That city on the edge of the Hill Country was hit by major floods again in 1913, 1921, 1998 and 2025, to cite a few examples.

More than 100 lives were lost, many young campers, in the Fourth of July flood. What happened and how can you help?

In what experts call "Flash Flood Alley," the terrain reacts quickly to rainfall steep slopes, rocky ground, and narrow riverbeds leave little time for warning.

Businesses large and small also sprang into action to help the community. Grocery chain H-E-B, which started in Kerrville, one of the cities affected by the floods, has been donating food and supplies through the Red Cross. San Antonio-based fast-food chain Whataburger said it would provide meals to first responders.