Young Texas camp survivor describes harrowing moment she prepared for worst during deadly flood

Fox News

07-07-2025

A young camper who was rescued from Camp Mystic described the harrowing ordeal as catastrophic floods pummeled Central Texas.
"We went to bed thinking it was just a normal thunderstorm. One minute you see lightning strike next to your cabin, and next to you, you hear water's coming up," 16-year-old Callie McAlary described on 'Fox Report.'
"And you have kids running just trying to get to other cabins, trying to get to safety. And luckily, my cabin was one of the few cabins that did not get water, but the cabins in front of us did get some water," McAlary continued.
McAlary's mother, Tara Bradburn, also reflected on the tragic flooding, saying that despite living in Virginia now, the camp had been a huge part of their lives as McAlary had been attending the camp since she was in second grade.
"We chose this camp. I was a Texan. It was important to me that my child have Texas roots," Bradburn shared.
"Living in Virginia, we brought her to Camp Mystic and turned her over to the Dick and Tweedy Eastland family and Camp Mystics and their staff because we knew they would love on our child. They would help her grow in her faith and live the Mystic ideals of being a better person and bringing out the best in her," Bradburn continued. "We are so devastated by what has happened, but truly grateful and thankful to the Eastland family for all they have done and all they've given as a family to save the children that they could."
Bradburn weighed in on how devastating that evening was for her daughter and how fast everything turned into a nightmare.
"Even up on Senior Hill, I think that conveys to you how fast the water came up and how high it came and how it was a 100-year historic flash flood. We had never seen anything like this. And I cannot say enough about what these young counselors did to calm these girls and to ensure their safety," Bradburn said.
"And what the men and the staff and the Eastland family did to try to help everyone that they could – they are heroes. And those young girls and those young counselors that our young girls were under for the summer were remarkable and were brave and were strong and saved so many children and kept so many children calm so that decisions could be made to keep other girls safe and move them to safety."
McAlary continued to describe the night and the moment she realized something was terribly wrong.
"We heard one second, it was really bad thunder. I woke up to a big giant sound of thunder and lightning striking," McAlary recalled. "We heard one of the campers run in and say, 'hey, our cabin is flooding." I knew some girls slept on trunks that night, some girls had to share beds, some girls slept on floors because they couldn't go back to their cabin because it was so flooded in three cabins."
In an effort to protect herself and prepare for the worst-case scenario, McAlary put a name tag on her body in the middle of the night.
"I put on my name tag because I was scared that if water was coming out next to other cabins that our cabin might be next. And I just put it on just for safekeeping… in my head I was saying, 'if something does happen, and I do get swept away, at least I'll have my name on my body,'" McAlary explained.
Bradburn shared that both her and her husband had worked for the Department of Defense and each spent "many times in war zones on behalf of this nation," and spoken to McAlary "more times than she could count" about staying safe in any environment.
"This was not an environment we had ever thought we would have to prepare her for. That comment to me as a parent when she got off that helicopter and finally came into my arms and I saw this name tag on her, and it was the camp name tag she was issued on the day she arrived. It resonated with me that somewhere those little lessons that we gave her as parents years ago and throughout her life resonated with her in that moment," Bradburn said.
Despite her daughter being alive and safe, Bradburn said they are devastated for so many families that are missing loved ones.
"There are no answers. This is a lot emotionally for anyone. And it's something as parents, we owe our child to try to be strong for her and to ensure that she also has the help she needs moving forward," Bradburn said.
McAlary said she is now holding on to hope that the rest of her friends and all those who are missing are found soon.
"I really hope those kids that are missing are found. I knew a lot of those kids and a lot of those kids the night before hugged me before we all went to bed. And it's hard to think about that one minute they were hugging me and the next minute they could be gone."
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [e-mail]