Healing one slice at a time

COMFORT: BOUNCING BACK

Before and after floods Comfort Pizza staff serving community

COMFORT — A year after the tragic July 4, 2025, floods swept through the Hill Country, local businesses and residents are reflecting on a day that forever changed their community.

Ty Langston, owner of Comfort Pizza, vividly remembers the uncertainty and heartbreak that unfolded after what was supposed to be a day of celebration quickly turned into a tragedy.

The catastrophe started with an early morning deluge that swelled the Guadalupe River starting in Kerrville and roared through homes and encampments, eventually claiming 139 lives.

“On the morning of July 4, 2025, we were up early around 5 a.m. preparing our float for the parade that day,” Langston said. “The parade was actually staged across the low-water crossing just below the confluence of the Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek. The parade was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. that morning.”

At 6:40 a.m., however, participants received word the annual parade had been called off.

“The (Comfort Chamber of Commerce) notified participants that the parade was cancelled ‘out of an abundance of caution,’” Langston said.

With the celebration called off, Langston and his staff began preparing for what is typically one of the busiest days of the year for local businesses. Visitors from across the region had already arrived to spend the Independence Day weekend in Comfort.

But as reports of catastrophic flooding upstream near Hunt began to emerge and local waterways rose, priorities quickly changed.

“As disaster reports from upstream near Hunt started trickling in and our river banks overflowed, we made work voluntary for all of our staff and proceeded to work with a skeleton crew to provide meals to go for the many out-of-town guests staying in the local hotels and B&Bs, as well as our awesome local first responders,” Langston said.

Like many Hill Country communities, Comfort found itself rallying together as the scope of the calamity became clear. Residents stepped up to assist neighbors, support emergency personnel and help visitors stranded by rising waters and road closures.

“Locals are strong and resilient and pulled together as the tragedy unfolded,” Langston said.

That spirit of cooperation remains evident one year later, residents said.

While this year’s Independence Day celebrations brought a return to familiar traditions, they also carried a greater significance for those who lived through the floods.

“This year’s Fourth of July parade and celebrations had deep meaning to everyone that lived through last year’s disaster,” Langston said.

Comfort Pizza, 802 High St., has become a fixture in the community and a gathering place for both locals and visitors. Located in the heart of downtown inside a converted 1920s gas station, the restaurant is known for its handcrafted wood-fired pizzas and welcoming atmosphere.

Langston said the menu reflects culinary influences gathered during his travels around the planet.

The restaurant’s signature sourdough crust is made from a long-preserved starter and grains obtained internationally, creating a “distinctive flavor” that has earned a loyal following, Langston said.

Among the most popular offerings is the “Angry Samoan,” featuring Italian prosciutto, chili-and-lime infused pineapple, Roma tomatoes, banana peppers, mozzarella and virgin olive oil.