When catastrophic flooding struck the Texas Hill Country in early July 2025, the response from the heavy equipment community was immediate and deeply personal.
Among those to act were TNT Crane & Rigging and Kerr County Search and Rescue. The latter's Central and South Texas team quickly organized a relief effort to support residents in one of the hardest-hit areas: Hunt.
For John Johnson, southern district manager of TNT Cranes, the call to action was personal.
"I live near the Guadalupe River. I have family in Kerrville. Once we saw the devastation, the death toll, the missing people, it was clear we had to do something," Johnson said.
The Monday after the storm, during a companywide safety and wellness meeting, an employee shared a heartfelt account of what local first responders were witnessing on the ground. That moment, Johnson said, made the decision easy.
"I left the meeting and immediately called our COO, Kevin Schultz, and our president, Kevin Lawson. I asked, ‘Can I do something for Kerrville and the flooding?' Without hesitation, they said yes. No restrictions, no limits."
From there, TNT's response was swift and organized. The company deployed staff and supplies from its Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin branches. The goal: to support locals with meals, tools, hydration and safety equipment.
TNT brought out its BBQ trailer and cooked for roughly 500 people. Employees and administrators brought food, water and other supplies. Teams gathered nine pallets of water and loaded them onto an 18-wheeler using Gehl and Manitou forklifts supplied by Anderson Machinery.
"Anderson Machinery Co. is proud to stand with the people of Texas during this time and remains committed to supporting local communities however possible," the company said. "This effort is a reminder that when disaster strikes, Texans show up for one another, and we are honored to play a small part in that greater mission."
Hand tools like shovels, machetes, brooms and PPE also were gathered and dispatched, including more than 200 dozen leather gloves, safety vests and hard hats.
"I called Albert Castillo, our HSE manager in Corpus. He's also a volunteer assistant fire chief," Johnson said. "He helped us get in touch with the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department. Kerrville told us they were covered, but Hunt needed help badly."
The team staged just a few hundred ft. from the river. What they found was a surreal scene of devastation and urgency.
"There were helicopters flying low overhead. Swift water rescue teams, ATVs, fire crews, volunteers. It looked like a war zone," Johnson said.
United Effort
More than a dozen TNT employees were on site throughout the day, distributing food, water and equipment. Johnson recalled seeing license plates from Oklahoma, other states and even a rescue crew from Mexico.
"One of the guys we fed came up from Mexico to help. We didn't share a language, but you could feel the gratitude. There was mutual respect. Nobody asked where you were from or who you voted for. Everyone just wanted to help."
The experience left a lasting impression on Johnson and his team.
"We didn't do it for attention. We didn't send salesmen. There was no financial benefit. What we did was purely from the heart," he said.
Their high-visibility safety vests and hard hats, stamped with the TNT logo, were later spotted in news coverage of the flood response. For Johnson, it was a proud but sobering reminder of their efforts.
Moving Forward
Though the immediate rescue phase has passed, the rebuilding process continues. TNT has maintained contact with local officials in case additional help is needed.
"We haven't been asked to go back yet, and we didn't want to turn this into a business opportunity," Johnson said. "We're standing by if they need us again."
For now, Johnson said the biggest takeaway is the reminder that unity still exists, especially in times of crisis.
"We see so much division in the news and on social media. But out there, nobody cared about politics. Everyone came together. It reminded me that we live in the greatest country in the world, and that we have some really good neighbors, too."
