‘The Top Hats Are Saved!’ A Texas Dance Studio Weathers Another Major Flood.

# ‘The Top Hats Are Saved!’ A Texas Dance Studio Weathers Another Major Flood

**KERRVILLE, Texas** — For CeCe Jean Saunders, owner of the CeCe’s Dance Academy in the Texas Hill Country, the nightmare of a catastrophic flood seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime tragedy when the Guadalupe River overflowed last year, submerging her studio under nearly four feet of murky water. Then, in a cruel meteorological déjà vu, it happened again. Just 11 months later, another record-breaking deluge swept through Kerrville, threatening to wash away not just the hardwood floors and mirrored walls, but the very spirit of the community’s cherished dance hub.

According to the National Weather Service, the region received over 10 inches of rain in a 48-hour period last week, triggering flash floods that rivaled the 2023 event which caused an estimated $2.3 million in damages across the county. For Saunders, the financial toll is staggering. The 2023 flood cost her studio roughly $87,000 in repairs, lost costumes, and ruined sound systems. This time, early estimates place the damage at nearly $45,000, though she notes that the emotional cost is incalculable.

“I walked in the door, and the water was already up to my shins. The first thing I thought was, ‘Not again. Please, not again,’” Saunders told reporters from the LOPINUZE U.S. News Desk. “But then I saw the top hats. They were floating in a plastic bin, completely dry. I grabbed them and thought, ‘The top hats are saved!’ It sounds silly, but those hats are for our annual recital. They represent the kids who come here to escape the real world for an hour.”

The studio, which serves over 120 students ranging from toddlers to seniors, has become a symbol of resilience in a town still grappling with the aftermath of a changing climate. Local hydrologist Dr. Marcus Reyes of Texas A&M University noted that such back-to-back flood events are becoming statistically more probable. “We are seeing a 40% increase in ‘compound flood events’ in the Hill Country over the last decade,” Dr. Reyes said in an interview. “The soil saturation from last year’s flood meant that this storm had nowhere to go but directly into buildings. The infrastructure wasn’t designed for this frequency.”

Saunders, a former Broadway dancer who opened the studio 14 years ago, is now facing the grim reality of rebuilding for the second time in a year. Her insurance premiums have tripled, and many of her students’ families are also struggling with their own flood-damaged homes. “I have a 10-year-old ballerina who cried because she thought we were closing,” Saunders said, her voice breaking. “I told her, ‘We’re dancers. We fall down, and we get back up. That’s the routine.’”

The Finance Desk reports that small businesses in flood-prone regions are increasingly turning to crowdfunding and SBA disaster loans. Saunders has started a GoFundMe, but admits that the future remains uncertain. “I don’t know if I can survive a third time,” she said. “But I know I can’t let the kids down.”

Looking ahead, city officials are reviewing a $12 million bond proposal for new drainage systems, but construction is years away. For now, Saunders is mopping up the sludge, hanging the top hats to dry, and preparing for the next recital. The show, she insists, must go on.