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Texas flooding flash flood Camp Mystic: What we know about the victims so far
Flash flooding in Central Texas has resulted in at least 69 fatalities, with many still missing, including 12 from Camp Mystic.
Ghastly flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas has claimed at least 69 lives, with the toll expected to rise. A Christian all-girls’ summer camp in Hunt, where 11 campers and one counsellor remain missing in Camp Mystic, per The New York Times.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with volunteers even using horses to reach flooded areas inaccessible by vehicle.
Here are some of the victims of Texas flooding
Julian Ryan
Julian Ryan, 27, slept in his trailer house in Ingram after a night job of working as a dishwasher when floodwaters started pouring in. He, his fiancée, Christinia Wilson, his mother and the two children looked on helplessly as the water rose very fast, and they tried to run away. He broke a window to create an exit but suffered a severe cut to his arm.
“He had lost so much blood and knew he wasn’t going to make it,” Ms. Wilson told The Kerrville Daily Times. “He said, ‘I love you. I’m so sorry.’ In minutes, he was gone.”
Though the trailer was ripped apart by the water, the rest of the family survived. “He was the best father... He died trying to save us,” she said.
Blair and Brooke Harber
Sisters Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were swept away while staying with their grandparents in a cabin near the river. Their parents, who were in another cabin, survived.
“In moments like this, we are reminded of life’s fragility and the lasting power of faith,” Rev. Joshua J. Whitfield of St. Rita Catholic Community wrote in a letter to pastor. “We will honor Blair and Brooke’s lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them.”
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Katheryn Eads
Katheryn Eads, 52, and her husband tried to escape their RV as waters surged. However, a passing car took them, but it stalled, and they were washed away. Brian Eads managed to stay alive, hanging on a tree, and later confirmed his wife's death.
Sarah Marsh
Eight-year-old Sarah Marsh, a student from Alabama attending Camp Mystic, was among the young victims. “This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school and our entire community,” said Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch per The Kerrville Daily Times.
Janie Hunt
Nine-year-old Janie Hunt of Dallas was also in Camp Mystic. Her cousins survived, but her parents were left to identify her body at a local funeral home, per The Kerrville Daily Times.
Bobby and Amanda Martin
The Martins, from Odessa, were camping by the river when their RV was swept away. Their grandchild and the grandchild’s girlfriend are still missing. “He’s just incredible,” Bobby’s father, John Keith Martin, told The New York Times.
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Jane Ragsdale
Jane Ragsdale, co-owner and director of Heart O’ the Hills camp, also lost her life. “She embodied the spirit of Heart O’ the Hills,” the camp website noted.
Ragsdale had led the camp since 1988 after starting as a camper herself.
