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The search continues in the Texas Hill Country after catastrophic flooding left at least 82 people dead, including 28 children, and dozens more missing over the weekend.
Among the missing are 10 girls and one counsellor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls located on the banks of the Guadalupe River.
The river, normally a quiet backdrop for summer traditions, rose more than 20 feet in under two hours during the early morning hours of July 4, overtaking cabins and sweeping campers away. Authorities say 41 people are still unaccounted for, and new rainfall in the area is worsening conditions for first responders, according to a report from CNN.
Camp Mystic releases official statement
In a statement released Sunday evening, Camp Mystic confirmed the loss of 27 campers and counsellors, calling the tragedy “unimaginable.”
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families,” the camp wrote. “We are praying for them constantly.”
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level… May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.”
The camp did not name the victims in the statement. However, the death of longtime director Richard “Dick” Eastland has been confirmed by several media outlets. Eastland reportedly died while rescuing girls during the flood and passed away in a helicopter en route to a hospital in Houston.
Related Stories:
- Camp Mystic director dies saving girls as death toll climbs in Texas floods
- 4 children from Bible camp among 27 confirmed dead in Texas flooding
- PRAY: Frantic search for 20 girls missing after flood hits Texas Bible camp
Campers describe survival
Other camps in the area were also impacted. At Camp La Junta, just upriver from Camp Mystic, brothers Piers and Ruffin Boyett shared their experience of escaping their flooded cabin in the dark hours of Friday morning.
“We have bunk beds in our cabin, and [the water] was going to the top bunk,” Piers told KSAT. “We had one choice, and we had to swim out of our cabins.”
Ruffin added, “No one died. We are thankful for that.”
Many camps in the region, including Camp Mystic, are located in flood-prone areas—places that have seen generations of families return each summer for tradition and faith-building experiences.
This storm, which dropped more than a month’s worth of rain in just hours, is now classified as a 1-in-100-year flood event, though climate experts warn these are becoming more frequent with warming global temperatures.
Search and flood threats continue
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned that more rain is in the forecast, and flash flooding remains a danger in central and southeast Texas. Officials are urging people to stay alert as already-swollen waterways continue to rise.
Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County called the flood “unlike anything we’ve seen in decades.” More than 850 people have been rescued so far.
Camp Mystic has asked for continued prayer and privacy for its grieving families.
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