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The Independent
08-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Dad tried to kayak in Texas floods to save his young daughters, whose last texts were ‘I love you'
The Texas father of two girls who died holding hands during the catastrophic floods as he tried to kayak to them has revealed their final words. 'I love you,' the pre-teens wrote in a text. R.J. and Annie Harber spent the Fourth of July at their one-bedroom cabin in Casa Bonita near Hunt, Texas, which they've owned since 2020. Their daughters, Blair, 13, and Brooke, 11, stayed with their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber, in a cabin closer to the lake. R.J. told the Wall Street Journal that he was awakened by pounding rain, thunder and lightning around 3:30 a.m. on the holiday. He woke Annie after feeling floodwater in their cabin and seeing water rushing in through the door. Unable to open it, they escaped through a window with water already up to Annie's neck and fled to higher ground. They knocked on two nearby families' doors and woke them, too. R.J. borrowed a kayak, a life vest, and a flashlight to reach the cabin where his daughters and parents were staying, but a swell knocked him into a post halfway there. 'I shined a flashlight out there, and I could see it was white water, and I've kayaked enough to know that that was gonna be impossible,' R.J. told the outlet. He saw that an entire cabin had broken loose from its foundation and was lodged against the side of the cabin where his daughters and parents were staying. 'There were cars floating at me and trees floating at me. I knew if I took even one stroke further, it was gonna be a death sentence,' he said. R.J. made the heartbreaking decision to go back to Annie and the other families. All of them made it to a home on higher ground where another family let them in around 3:45 a.m., the Journal reported. When RJ checked his phone, he discovered that Brooke had texted him at 3:30 a.m. It read 'I love you.' Annie also received texts from both daughters saying 'I love you,' and their other grandfather in Michigan received one that said 'Love you' and a photo of him with the girls. The Harbers and others waited in the dark all night, hearing terrifying noises they later realized were cabins being torn from their foundations. At sunrise, R.J. returned to find most of the community's cabins destroyed, including the one where his daughter and their grandparents had stayed, which had been completely washed away. Kerr County, Texas, has become the center for disastrous floods that hit the state over the weekend. More than 100 people have died and emergency crews have done more than 400 rescues. Blair and Brooke's bodies were found about 12 miles from the cabin. According to a GoFundMe started for the girls' funeral costs, the grandparents have yet to be found. The girls' aunt, Jennifer Harber, wrote, 'They were believers, and one of their favorite classes was religion. Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them.' The GoFundMe has raised over $290,000, surpassing its $275,000 goal. R.J. told the Journal that the family frequently visited their cabin to kayak, fish and play. 'Unfortunately, all those great memories are now a bad memory,' he said.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sisters killed in devastating Texas flooding found holding hands, relatives say
Two sisters killed in the Texas flooding were found holding hands, according to their relatives. The bodies of Blair and Brooke Harber, aged 13 and 11, were recovered on Friday, about 12 hours after devastating flooding hit the cabin community where they were staying with their family. They are among at least 104 people killed after heavy rain on Friday morning caused the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst, sweeping homes and vehicles away. Their aunt, Jennifer Harber, wrote in a detailed statement on a GoFundMe page for the family that the sisters' "hands were locked together" when rescuers found them about 15 miles downstream. She said they had been staying in a cabin with their grandparents along the river, while their mother and father, Annie and RJ, were lodged farther up the hill, away from the water. On the GoFundMe page, which was set up on Saturday, Ms Harber said the girls' parents were safe, but their grandparents Mike and Charlene had still not been found. There are fears the death toll could rise further. In the statement, Ms Harber wrote: "Brooke texted my brother, her grandmother and grandfather on Annie's side saying 'I love you' at 3.30am. "My nieces were upstairs in the loft. They were believers and one of their favourite classes was religion. "Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them. Their bodies were found yesterday afternoon 15 miles away in Kerrville. When they were found their hands were locked together." Later in the statement, she added: "We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken. Prayers are much appreciated and what we needed [sic] at this time." Their father on Sunday, saying Blair "was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart," while Brooke "was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment". The GoFundMe has already raised nearly $300,000. The sisters are among at least 28 children who have died during the flooding, many of whom were staying at a girls' Christian camp along the river. Read more: They include twin sisters Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, who had just finished second grade. Their parents John and Lacy Lawrence shared a statement saying: "Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others. "We will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them. But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time." As much as 10ins (25cm) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst at around 4am local time. Homes and vehicles were swept away by the downpour - equivalent to months' worth of rain, while 27 girls staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, went missing when the fast-rising floodwaters hit. Search parties are continuing to look for those still unaccounted for, which includes 10 children from the girls' camp.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- General
- Sky News
Sisters killed in devastating Texas flooding found holding hands, relatives say
Two sisters killed in the Texas flooding were found holding hands, according to their relatives. The bodies of Blair and Brooke Harber, aged 13 and 11, were recovered on Friday, about 12 hours after devastating flooding hit the cabin community where they were staying with their family. They are among at least 104 people killed after heavy rain on Friday morning caused the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst, sweeping homes and vehicles away. Their aunt, Jennifer Harber, wrote in a detailed statement on a GoFundMe page for the family that the sisters' "hands were locked together" when rescuers found them about 15 miles downstream. She said they had been staying in a cabin with their grandparents along the river, while their mother and father, Annie and RJ, were lodged farther up the hill, away from the water. On the GoFundMe page, which was set up on Saturday, Ms Harber said the girls' parents were safe, but their grandparents Mike and Charlene had still not been found. There are fears the death toll could rise further. In the statement, Ms Harber wrote: "Brooke texted my brother, her grandmother and grandfather on Annie's side saying 'I love you' at 3.30am. "My nieces were upstairs in the loft. They were believers and one of their favourite classes was religion. "Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them. Their bodies were found yesterday afternoon 15 miles away in Kerrville. When they were found their hands were locked together." Later in the statement, she added: "We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken. Prayers are much appreciated and what we needed [sic] at this time." Their father spoke to CNN on Sunday, saying Blair "was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart," while Brooke "was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment". The GoFundMe has already raised nearly $300,000. The sisters are among at least 28 children who have died during the flooding, many of whom were staying at a girls' Christian camp along the river. They include twin sisters Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, who had just finished second grade. Their parents John and Lacy Lawrence shared a statement saying: "Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others. "We will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them. But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time." 3:49 As much as 10ins (25cm) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst at around 4am local time. Homes and vehicles were swept away by the downpour - equivalent to months' worth of rain, while 27 girls staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, went missing when the fast-rising floodwaters hit. Search parties are continuing to look for those still unaccounted for, which includes 10 children from the girls' camp.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Texas sisters, 11 and 13, send haunting three-word text message before drowning as dad fought to save them
Two young sisters killed in the deadly Texas Hill Country floods sent their parents a heartbreaking final text before they drowned to death. Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were found dead about 12 hours after the flash floods erupted along the Guadalupe River early Friday morning. The sisters were with their grandparents Mike and Charlene Harber at a rented cabin along the river in Hunt when they were swept away, the family has revealed. As the parents were desperately searching for the girls, they checked their phones and saw they each received a text from their daughters that read 'I love you' at 3.30am. The girls also sent a similar message to their grandfather in Michigan. Their bodies were found Friday afternoon in Kerrville, about 15 miles from the cabin. The sisters were found holding hands. Blair and Brooke were eighth grade and sixth grade students respectively at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas. The sisters are among the 89 declared dead - with dozens more missing - when torrential rains created a near-Biblical flash flooding that caught thousands of Lone Star residents by surprise. Mike and Charlene were in the cabin with the girls and are currently missing. The young girls were staying with their grandparents in Casa Bonita cabin community near Hunt when the deadly flash floods broke out early Friday morning. Their father RJ and mother Annie were staying in a separate cabin nearby. The couple were woken up by the sound of rushing water early Friday morning as their cabin began to flood. They managed to escape the building by jumping out of a window as the water reached neck-level. RJ started to kayak towards the cabin where his daughters and parents were staying, but swell knocked him into a post about halfway through his journey. He shined a flashlight towards the cabin and saw an entire building had detached from the foundation and struck against the cabin where his family was. 'I shined a flashlight out there, and I could see it was white water, and I've kayaked enough to know that that was gonna be impossible,' RJ told The Wall Street Journal. 'There were cars floating at me and trees floating at me. I knew if I took even one stroke further, it was gonna be a death sentence.' He kayaked back towards Annie and the pair headed to higher ground with other families who managed to flee the flooded campsite. When they arrived at a safe spot, the couple checked their phones and saw they each received a text from their daughters that read 'I love you', timestamped at 3.30am. The girls also sent a similar message to their grandfather in Michigan. Blair and Brooke's bodies were found Friday afternoon in Kerrville, about 15 miles from the cabin. 'When they were found their hands were locked together,' a family member revealed in a crowdfunding campaign. The relative added: 'They had their rosaries with them.' Their grandparents Mike, 76, and Charlene, 74, remain missing. A GoFundMe account established in the family's honor has already raised more than $197,000, as of Monday morning. Father Joshua J. Whitfield, the priest for the St. Rita Catholic Community, has vowed to honor the girls memory. 'Even if we may never fully understand why such tragedies happen, we are called to respond with love, compassion, and prayer,' Whitfield told KDFW. 'We will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them.' Annie is a teacher at the Catholic school her daughters attended. The church is offering counselors to support students and faculty impacted by the tragedy.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Texas floods victims aged 11 and 13 sent family heartbreaking three word text before dying with 'hands locked together': Live updates
Two young sisters killed in the catastrophic Texas floods sent their parents a heartbreaking 'I love you' text before they drowned. Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were found dead with their 'hands locked together' after the Guadalupe River rose to record heights over the weekend, completely flooding the camping area where they were staying with their family. At least 82 people were killed in the devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, and 41 remain missing. Ten girls and a counselor are still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Survivors have described the floods as a 'pitch black wall of death' and said they received no emergency warnings. Officials have come under scrutiny as to why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner about the severe weather or told to evacuate. The National Weather Service has extended a flash flood watch for the Texas Hill Country, where an additional one to three inches of rain is expected to fall today, until 7pm local time (6pm EST). The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches of rain in the dark, early morning hours. 12:04 Sisters aged 11 and 13 send heartbreaking three word text to loved ones as they drowned in flood Two young sisters killed in the deadly Hill Country floods sent their parents a heartbreaking final text before they drowned to death. Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were staying in a rented cabin along the Guadalupe River with their grandparents Mike and Charlene Harber over the July 4th holiday. Their father RJ and mother Annie were staying in a separate cabin, located in the Casa Bonita cabin community near Hunt, nearby, The Wall Street Journal reports. The married couple were woken up by the sound of rushing water early Friday morning as their cabin began to flood. RJ and Annie managed to escape the building by jumping out of a window as the water reached neck-level. RJ started to kayak towards the cabin where his daughters and parents were staying, but swell knocked him into a post about halfway through his journey. He shined a flashlight towards the cabin and saw an entire building had detached from the foundation and struck against the cabin where his family was. 'I shined a flashlight out there, and I could see it was white water, and I've kayaked enough to know that that was gonna be impossible,' he told WSJ. 'There were cars floating at me and trees floating at me. I knew if I took even one stroke further, it was gonna be a death sentence.' He kayaked back towards Annie and the pair headed to higher ground with other families who managed to flee the floods. When they arrived at a safe spot, the couple checked their phones and saw they each received a text from their daughters that read 'I love you', timestamped at 3.30am. The girls also sent a similar message to their grandfather in Michigan. Their bodies were found the next day, about dozen miles from the cabin with their 'hands locked together'. Mike and Charlene remain missing. Catastrophic Texas floods kill 82 people, including 28 children Flash flooding in central Texas has killed at least 82 people, including 28 children, officials have confirmed. At least 41 people are confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday. In hardest-hit Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Fatalities in nearby counties brought the total number of deaths to 82 as of Monday morning. Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released. Pictured: A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 10 girls went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025 Pictured: Search and recovery workers dig through debris looking for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas 11:29 What caused the Guadalupe River floods? Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours. After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4am that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5.20am, some residents in the Kerrville city area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Pictured: Construction equipment is seen caught in the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas on July 6, 2025 Pictured: The sun sets over the Guadalupe River on July 6, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas, leaving more than 80 people reported dead
