Sarah Ferguson shares heartfelt message of support - following devastating Texas floods that have claimed at least 91 lives
Taking to Instagram, Sarah Ferguson said the situation in the US is 'heartbreaking beyond words'.
'My heart breaks as we see that harrowing images and witness the toll on these local communities,' she added.
'To the brave search teams and volunteers - you are heroes. Please, if you're able, support the relief efforts and local community funds by clicking on the next slide and reading the attached post.
'Together, we must lift them up in this darkest hour.'
The mother of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie then shared a post collating resources through which people can show their support.
Sorrow still plagues the Guadalupe River region, three days after the watercourse burst its banks and flooded the small nearby towns of Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, and Hunt early on Independence Day in the US.
Authorities fear the death toll may reach upwards of 100 people, while 41 people are still missing including 10 young girls from a Christian summer camp.
Most of the victims were swept away in the early hours of Friday morning after the river rose 23ft in a matter of minutes.
Alerts that should have woken them to the impending danger never arrived, with many in areas with no signal or with alarms that didn't sound.
Relatives of the missing have started arriving in the Kerrville area from across the Lone Star State to provide investigators with DNA samples.
More is emerging about the victims, including those lost at Camp Mystic.
The all-girl's Christian camp hosted 700 campers, including Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck of Dallas.
Their parents were told the devastating news that their girls, described as 'best friends,' had died in the flood waters.
Some of those who are missing or died at Camp Mystic are connected to wealthy families in Highland Park.
Known as the Beverly Hills of Dallas, Highland Park and neighboring Park Cities are home to many of missing girls who belong to prominent families.
The mother of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie then shared a post collating resources through which people can show their support
Some have ties to Highland Park United Methodist Church - whose most famous member is former President George W. Bush.
'This crisis affects many our HPUMC family and our local Park Cities community, including generations of women and families touched by Camp Mystic,' wrote Highland Park United Methodist Church head pastor Paul Rasmussen.
'One of the girls unaccounted for, Hadley Hanna, is a part of our church family. Please pray for her safety and for her parents, Doug and Carrie, along with her two sisters.'
More than 300 people attended a prayer vigil at the church Saturday in support of the flood victims.
A hotline has been established for anyone who is looking for loved ones.
Relatives are asked to call 830-258-1111 with information of the missing, including their last known location.
Elsewhere, homes are ripped up, including in River's Edge – a small leafy row of trailer homes just a few feet from the Guadalupe in Ingram.
It was there that dad-of-two Julian Ryan, 27, died a hero after punching through a window so his family could escape – at the cost of almost severing his arm.
Speaking to CBS affiliate KHOU in the aftermath, his devastated widow Christine Wilson said: 'It severed his artery in his arm and almost cut it clean off.'
Heartbreakingly, despite repeated 911 calls, Ryan could not be saved – telling his family, 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.'
Daily Mail photos of the trailer home show the catastrophic damage it suffered, with flood marks almost reaching the ceiling while the family's furniture was tossed around like toys.
Mud is splattered up the inside walls while one side of the property was cracked and bent, with bits of the corrugated iron exterior ripped off.
Other trailers in the neighborhood had been shifted off their foundations – with some landing three streets away.
'It's just total devastation,' said neighbor Ray Lackey.
Like Ryan's, his trailer home was wrecked in the flood and is now filled with mud that has destroyed most of his possessions – including irreplaceable photographs of his late father and sister.
'There are families that lost their lives, people who were killed that I know. It's hard. I lost everything and everybody here – and I mean everybody here – lost everything.'
Lackey, a carpenter, was out of town when the flood hit but, with no insurance, he now faces an uphill battle to get his life back on track.
'Hopefully somebody will help us out somehow. I wish I would have had insurance, really, right?' he said.
'I never would have thought anything like this would have happened. The river has never come up. That's why I don't, and I've lived here for a good amount of time.'
On nearby streets, houses still stood but were packed with smelly river mud while another property – which had been named Paradise by its distraught owner – was playing host to a phalanx of police vehicles.
Meanwhile, the usually serene TX-39 highway that cuts through town had been turned into a snarl of cop cars and big rigs hauling specialist gear, such as air boats and cherry pickers equipped with tracks.
'Before this, this was just a beautiful, peaceful, lovely place,' said Lackey. 'It was very quiet. Nobody messed with nobody.
'Everybody helped out around here. And now everybody is kind of coming together. It helps having people like them around and now they're coming out to help.'
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The Independent
19 minutes ago
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The Independent
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