What we know about the Texas flooding victims
Here's what we know about the victims of the flooding near Kerrville, Texas:
Renee Smajstrla
The young girl has been identified by her uncle as one of the Camp Mystic attendees who went missing and whose body has since been recovered.
"We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday. She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook.
Sarah Marsh
The 8-year-old Mountain Brook, Alabama, girl was a camper whose body has been found, per the city's mayor.
"This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community. Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her, " Mayor Stewart Welch wrote in a Facebook post.
Janie Hunt
The girl's family confirmed to NBC5 reporter Keenan Willard that she had died in the floods while at Camp Mystic.
Lila Bonner
Bonner's family also confirmed the girl had died.
"In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time. We ache with all who loved her," the girl's family said in a statement to NBC5.
Other people who were camping or lived near Guadalupe River, which surged to roughly 26 feet within 45 minutes, also were victims. They include:
Jane Ragsdale
The beloved co-owner and director of Heart O' the Hills camp was killed in floods, according to a statement posted on the camp's website.
"We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane's death. She embodied the spirit of Heart O' the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer."
The girls' camp opened in 1953. There were no campers at the time of the floods.
Julian Ryan
Ryan, 27,"died a hero," his family told KHOU in Houston.
Ryan's fiancée told the station water quickly entered their home near the Guadalupe River. Ryan punched out a window to get his family out, she said, but he was ultimately unable to make it out.
"Julian was a cherished son and devoted parent and fiancé who was dedicated to his family. He was known to have an infectious laugh and unwavering kindness," according to a GoFundme account raising money for his family.
"He touched countless lives with his humor and will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him."
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
A girls' summer camp cut short by deadly disaster
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days ago. Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends. But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history. Smajstrla was among those killed. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. Photos show the eerie aftermath: The bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, silent witnesses of a summer camp cut short. Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs. At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead. Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500 feet from the riverbank, US media reports. Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website. Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships. But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly. The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps. Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching. Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding. Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time. A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful." Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time. Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame. "The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said. "Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be." As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the clock. Kerr County Sheriff Larry L Leitha said on Sunday that the search for survivors continues but noted that the numbers will continue to change and increase as time goes on. "Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice said. Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come. Texas flood victims: Girl 'having time of her life' and 'heart and soul' of camp A boy saved by barbed wire, a 'destroyed' camp and missed warning signs in Texas floods Search for missing continues as Texas floods kill 51, including 15 children
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas flood victims: Girl 'having time of her life' and 'heart and soul' of camp
An eight-year-old girl and the director of an all-girls' summer camp are among the victims of flash floods in Texas that have claimed at least 51 lives, including 15 children. Officials say most of the victims have been identified. Authorities have not yet released any names publicly. Here's what we know so far about the victims. Eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla was at Camp Mystic when flooding swept through the summer camp for girls, her uncle said in a Facebook post. "Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly," wrote Shawn Salta, of Maryland. "We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday," he wrote. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic." Camp Mystic, where 27 children are missing, is a nearly century-old Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. Operated by generations of the same family since the 1930s, the camp's website bills itself as a place for girls to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere "to develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem". Heart O' the Hills is another all-girls' camp that sits along the Guadalupe River and it was right in the path of Friday's flood. Jane Ragsdale, described as the "heart and soul" of Heart O'Hills, "did not make it", a statement shared on the camp's official website said on Saturday. Ragsdale, who started off as a camper then a counsellor, became the director and co-owner of the camp in 1976. "We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the statement said. No campers were residing at the site when the floods hit and and most of those who were there have been accounted for, according to the statement. Sarah Marsh, a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary School in Alabama, would have entered third grade in August. She, too, was attending Camp Mystic and her grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, asked for prayers in a post on Facebook on Friday. Just hours later she shared online that her granddaughter was among the girls killed. "We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!" she said. In a post on Facebook, Alabama Senator Katie Britt said she's "heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh, and we are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time". Nine-year-old Janie Hunt from Dallas, was also attending Camp Mystic and died in the floods. Her grandmother Margaret Hunt told The New York Times she went to the camp with six of her cousins, who are all safe. Margaret said Janie's parents had to visit a funeral home and identify their daughter. Janie is a great-granddaughter of the oil baron William Herbert Hunt. As floodwaters tore through their trailer in Ingram, Texas, Julian Ryan turned to his fiancée Christina Wilson and said: "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all" - Christina told Houston television station KHOU. His body wasn't recovered until hours later, after waters had receded. Julian had just finished a late dishwashing shift at a restaurant when the Guadalupe River overflowed early Friday. He and Christina woke to ankle-deep water that quickly rose to their waists. She told the station their bedroom door stuck shut and with water rushing in, Ryan punched through a window to get his family out. He severely cut his arm in the process. Their 13-month-old and 6-year-old sons and his mother survived by floating on a mattress until help could arrive. "He died a hero, and that will never go unnoticed," Connie Salas, Ryan's sister, told KHOU. Richard "Dick" Eastland, the longtime co-owner and co-director of Camp Mystic, died while being flown to a Houston hospital. His death was confirmed by Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who attended Bible study with Dick and described him as a pillar of the local community. Dick's wife, Tweety, was found safe at their riverside home, according to Texas Public Radio. The Eastlands had run Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, since 1974, becoming the third generation of their family to do so. According to the Washington Post, the couple have 11 grandchildren and much of the extended family is involved in camp life. Their eldest son, Richard, manages the camp kitchen and their youngest, Edward, and his wife direct operations at Camp Mystic Guadalupe River. Katheryn Eads, 52, was swept away by floodwaters in the Kerrville area of Texas, early Friday morning after she and her husband, Brian, who told The New York Times, fled their campervan as rising water surged around them. Another camper had offered them a ride and they made it across the street before the vehicle stalled in the flood. Moments later, both were pulled into the current. Brian said he lost sight of his wife after being struck by debris. He survived by clinging onto a tree until he reached dry land. Katheryn's body was later recovered. "God has her now," her mother, Elizabeth Moss Grover, wrote on Facebook. Amy Hutchinson, director of Olive Branch Counselling in Texas, where Katheryn had worked, told The Washington Post she was "a hope and a light to all who knew her… a stellar counsellor and professor." Two sisters from Dallas - 13-year-old Blair Harber and 11-year-old Brooke Harber - were staying with their grandparents along the Guadalupe River when their cabin was washed away, CBS News, the BBC's US partner has reported. Their parents were in a separate cabin and were not harmed. Their grandparents are still unaccounted for. The deaths were confirmed by St Rita Catholic Community, where Brooke was due to start sixth grade. Blair was preparing to enter eighth grade. "Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief. May our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead," said Father Joshua J Whitfield in correspondence with church members. Nine-year-old Lila Bonner, a Dallas native was found dead after flooding near Camp Mystic, according to NBC News. "In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time," her family said in a statement to the news outlet. "We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly."
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas flood victims: Girl 'living her best life' and 'heart and soul' of camp
An eight-year-old girl and the director of an all-girls' summer camp are among the victims of flash floods in Texas that have claimed at least 51 lives, including 15 children. Officials say most of the victims have been identified. Authorities have not yet released any names publicly. Here's what we know so far about the victims. Eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla was at Camp Mystic when flooding swept through the summer camp for girls, her uncle said in a Facebook post. "Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly," wrote Shawn Salta, of Maryland. "We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday," he wrote. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic." Camp Mystic, where 27 children are missing, is a nearly century-old Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. Operated by generations of the same family since the 1930s, the camp's website bills itself as a place for girls to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere "to develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem". Heart O' the Hills is another all-girls' camp that sits along the Guadalupe River and it was right in the path of Friday's flood. Jane Ragsdale, described as the "heart and soul" of Heart O'Hills, "did not make it", a statement shared on the camp's official website said on Saturday. Ragsdale, who started off as a camper then a counsellor, became the director and co-owner of the camp in 1976. "We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the statement said. No campers were residing at the site when the floods hit and and most of those who were there have been accounted for, according to the statement. Sarah Marsh, a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary School in Alabama, would have entered third grade in August. She, too, was attending Camp Mystic and her grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, asked for prayers in a post on Facebook on Friday. Just hours later she shared online that her granddaughter was among the girls killed. "We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!" she said. In a post on Facebook, Alabama Senator Katie Britt said she's "heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh, and we are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time". Nine-year-old Janie Hunt from Dallas, was also attending Camp Mystic and died in the floods. Her grandmother Margaret Hunt told The New York Times she went to the camp with six of her cousins, who are all safe. Margaret said Janie's parents had to visit a funeral home and identify their daughter. Janie is a great-granddaughter of the oil baron William Herbert Hunt. As floodwaters tore through their trailer in Ingram, Texas, Julian Ryan turned to his fiancée Christina Wilson and said: "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all" - Christina told Houston television station KHOU. His body wasn't recovered until hours later, after waters had receded. Julian had just finished a late dishwashing shift at a restaurant when the Guadalupe River overflowed early Friday. He and Christina woke to ankle-deep water that quickly rose to their waists. She told the station their bedroom door stuck shut and with water rushing in, Ryan punched through a window to get his family out. He severely cut his arm in the process. Their 13-month-old and 6-year-old sons and his mother survived by floating on a mattress until help could arrive. "He died a hero, and that will never go unnoticed," Connie Salas, Ryan's sister, told KHOU. Richard "Dick" Eastland, the longtime co-owner and co-director of Camp Mystic, died while being flown to a Houston hospital. His death was confirmed by Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who attended Bible study with Dick and described him as a pillar of the local community. Dick's wife, Tweety, was found safe at their riverside home, according to Texas Public Radio. The Eastlands had run Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, since 1974, becoming the third generation of their family to do so. According to the Washington Post, the couple have 11 grandchildren and much of the extended family is involved in camp life. Their eldest son, Richard, manages the camp kitchen and their youngest, Edward, and his wife direct operations at Camp Mystic Guadalupe River. Katheryn Eads, 52, was swept away by floodwaters in the Kerrville area of Texas, early Friday morning after she and her husband, Brian, who told The New York Times, fled their campervan as rising water surged around them. Another camper had offered them a ride and they made it across the street before the vehicle stalled in the flood. Moments later, both were pulled into the current. Brian said he lost sight of his wife after being struck by debris. He survived by clinging onto a tree until he reached dry land. Katheryn's body was later recovered. "God has her now," her mother, Elizabeth Moss Grover, wrote on Facebook. Amy Hutchinson, director of Olive Branch Counselling in Texas, where Katheryn had worked, told The Washington Post she was "a hope and a light to all who knew her… a stellar counsellor and professor." Two sisters from Dallas - 13-year-old Blair Harber and 11-year-old Brooke Harber - were staying with their grandparents along the Guadalupe River when their cabin was washed away, CBS News, the BBC's US partner has reported. Their parents were in a separate cabin and were not harmed. Their grandparents are still unaccounted for. The deaths were confirmed by St Rita Catholic Community, where Brooke was due to start sixth grade. Blair was preparing to enter eighth grade. "Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief. May our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead," said Father Joshua J Whitfield in correspondence with church members. Nine-year-old Lila Bonner, a Dallas native was found dead after flooding near Camp Mystic, according to NBC News. "In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time," her family said in a statement to the news outlet. "We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly."
