Latest news with #CampLaJunta
The Sun
18 hours ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Two brothers in miracle escape from Texas floods after they swam for their lives as water reached top bunk in camp cabin
TWO brave young brothers have told of their gutsy escape from the Texas floods - which have killed at least 50 and left dozens missing. Piers and Ruffin Boyett were asleep in the cabin at Camp La Junta on the bank of the Guadeloupe River when it was hit by a wall of water at 4am. 11 11 11 11 Further down the river, Camp Mystic - a Christian camp hosting around 750 girls - was also swamped, and over 20 girls are still missing. They awoke to find water rising rapidly around them - and were forced to make a split-second decision. The plucky pair knew immediately that they had to swim. Younger brother Piers told KSAT: "The flood started getting bigger. "We had bunk beds in our cabins and [the water] was going up to the top bunk and we had one choice — and we had to swim out of our cabin.' Ruffin, the elder one, said: 'I had a first-hand view of the flood. "The cabins were flooding and the walls, they broke down. 'All of the campers in those cabins had to go up on the rafters and wait there until they could swim out." The brothers fought through the water to reach another cabin on higher ground. They waited there until a rescue bus arrived to take them away from the Guadeloupe River and back to safety. 15 children among 50 dead in Texas floods with little girls still missing' Whilst the Boyetts made it out of the water, not everyone has been so lucky. A Texas dad-of-two died while valiantly trying to save his family from the floods - after having is arm almost cut "clean off". Julian Ryan, 27, was with his family in their trailer home when the surging waters hit. His mother, fiance Christinia, six-year-old and 13-month-old were all huddled in the bedroom after being shaken awake at 4am on Friday. Christinia told KHOU: 'It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in." 11 11 11 The two kids were sitting on a floating mattress when the door of the bedroom burst open and water cascaded in. It was then Ryan took a bold decision to save his family. The dad punched a hole in one of the bedroom windows - but the shattered glass severed an artery and almost cut the limb "clean off". With blood spurting from the wound and emergency crews unable to reach the house, Julian told his family: "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all." The waters continued to rise and the trailer was eventually broken in half - allowing the rest of the family to escape. Christinia said: 'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family after they lost Julian, and it has so far raised almost $30,000. It reads: 'Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero. While his family is eternally grateful for his sacrifice, they are shattered by their loss." Rescuers are still scouring the devastated landscape in central Texas, but hopes of finding survivors are fast dwindling. 11 11 11 Larry Leitha, Kerr County sheriff, said on Saturday: "We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. "Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children." Multiple people lost their lives in other counties, bringing the current confirmed death toll to 50 - though this is sadly expected to rise. The most desperate search is for a group of school-age girls who went missing from Camp Mystic - a Christian summer camp near the river. Heartbreaking photos from the wrecked site show sodden mattresses and teddies strewn across dormitories. On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 of the children were still missing. 'Miracle' survival: Rescued 20 miles downstream By Patrick Harrington, foreign news reporter A YOUNG woman was miraculously rescued after being swept 20 miles downriver in the Texas floods. The 22-year-old was scooped up by fast-moving water from her campsite in Kerr County, Texas by deadly flash floods at 4am, and found clinging to a tree four hours later. A third of a year's worth of rain fell in a few hours in the area, creating an "extraordinary disaster", with an enormous search-and-rescue mission still underway. A Center Point resident, Carl, heard screaming when he stepped into his yard at around 8am on Friday morning. He spotted the woman clinging to a huge Cyprus tree near Lion's Park Dam as the river thundered beneath her. She had for been holding on for several hours after a terrifying 20-mile journey down dams and dodging debris. Emergency calls weren't connecting, so the local resident desperately flagged down a police car for help. Two rescue boats were scrambled and battled perilous currents to rescue the stranded camper. By this time, the water level had receded considerably, so the woman was stranded 12ft above the water's surface. She was forced to drop into the rescue boat, and was finally brought to safety.
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Survivors describe devastation after Central Texas flooding: "There's nothing left"
In less than an hour, paradise turned to wreckage. "This was our paradise," said Lorena Guillen. "But now it's all gone. I mean, it's gone. There's—there's nothing left." RV park destroyed in under an hour The RV park Guillen owns with her husband in Kerrville was wiped away in less than an hour. "Within 20 minutes after the water had came all the way up here, it was all the way up there where the patio is," she said. "I mean, that is a 500-year flood." RVs were wrapped around trees. A kayak was found hanging 20 feet in the air. Cars were buried under rocks and mud. "The force of nature" was overwhelming "It was just incredible, the force of nature of that moment," Guillen said. People were swept away by the floodwaters. "Just here with me I have six people missing. We don't know their whereabouts. A family of five that I'm praying someone is going to rescue down below," she said. Families wait for word from camps Across town, hundreds of family members waited anxiously to be reunited with girls from Camp Waldemar. "As reports came in, we saw images of the Camp La Junta cabin floating downstream, started hearing about a cabin at Camp Mystic that floated downstream—it was an emotional day," said Rob Sell, a parent of three campers. Campers recall the terrifying night Sell and his wife drove down from Fort Worth and were there when buses arrived with their daughters. "There was a little hole that you could see through my window, because I was on the top bunk, and I looked out and I saw water," said Alice Sell, a camper at Camp Waldemar. "When I slept I heard this loud thunder, and it was silent, but I knew—I didn't want to be worried, so I just thought God was with me and I can sleep the night," said Martha Sell, also a camper. A moment of relief amid the chaos "I had to wait a minute for them to hug their mom first," said Rob Sell. "I'm kind of chopped liver, but ultimately when I did get the hugs, they were really sweet." 'What now?': Survivors face uncertainty A really sweet moment, on an incredibly hard day. "The only thing that's going through my mind right now is like, what now? How — how are we going to move forward? You know, who is going to help?" Guillen said.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Cabin full of people washed away by historic Texas floods
Screams can be heard in the darkness as a large cabin packed with people was swept away by deadly floodwaters in Texas. In one of the most harrowing scenes yet from a disaster that has already claimed 13 lives, the cabin was seen drifting rapidly down the Guadalupe River in Hill County in the dead of night, carried off by the surging current as panicked voices rang out from inside. Flashes of yellow light flickered from a flashlight inside the home, briefly illuminating the chaos as it floated past. 'Oh my god, there's so many people in it,' a male bystander could be heard saying in shock. 'Oh my god,' a woman could be heard saying behind him. It is unclear if any of the home's occupants were injured and if they got to safety. People have speculated the home looks like a counselor's cabin at Camp La Junta in Hunt. Daily Mail has reached out to Camp La Junta for comment. On Friday afternoon, the camp took to Facebook to announce that 'everyone at Camp La Junta is safe and accounted for.' 'We are working with authorities for the next step,' the statement read. 'We appreciate your prayers.' Other summer camps have not been so fortunate. The nearby Camp Mystic, a summer program for girls, confirmed that at least some of its campers were unaccounted for on Friday afternoon. The summer camp, which is situated along the Guadalupe River, was evacuated overnight after heavy rainfall caused flash floods. Dozens of water rescues are taking place across Kerr County today. Kerr County's top lawmaker, Judge Rob Kelly, revealed one of the 13 people so-far confirmed dead in the Guadalupe River floods was unclothed. Kelly said: 'One of them was completely naked. They didn't have any ID on them.' The Guadalupe River rose to its second-highest height on record today at a height of 34 feet, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed early Friday morning. The river's highest height was 36 feet, recorded during a major flood in 1987 when nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the town of Hunt. Officials say restoration efforts have been slowed by flooding and downed power lines. All of Kerr County is considered to be an 'extremely active scene', Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said in the statement.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Screams erupt as cabin full people is washed away by historic Texas floods - as death count rises
Screams can be heard in the darkness as a large cabin packed with people was swept away by deadly floodwaters in Texas. In one of the most harrowing scenes yet from a disaster that has already claimed 13 lives, the cabin was seen drifting rapidly down the Guadalupe River in Hill County in the dead of night, carried off by the surging current as panicked voices rang out from inside. Flashes of yellow light flickered from a flashlight inside the home, briefly illuminating the chaos as it floated past. 'Oh my god, there's so many people in it,' a male bystander could be heard saying in shock. 'Oh my god,' a woman could be heard saying behind him. It is unclear if any of the home's occupants were injured and if they got to safety. People have speculated the home looks like a counselor's cabin at Camp La Junta in Hunt. Daily Mail has reached out to Camp La Junta for comment. On Friday afternoon, the camp took to Facebook to announce that 'everyone at Camp La Junta is safe and accounted for.' 'We are working with authorities for the next step,' the statement read. 'We appreciate your prayers.' Other summer camps have not been so fortunate. The nearby Camp Mystic, a summer program for girls, confirmed that at least some of its campers were unaccounted for on Friday afternoon. The summer camp, which is situated along the Guadalupe River, was evacuated overnight after heavy rainfall caused flash floods. Dozens of water rescues are taking place across Kerr County today. Kerr County's top lawmaker, Judge Rob Kelly, revealed one of the 13 people so-far confirmed dead in the Guadalupe River floods was nude. Kelly said: 'One of them was completely naked. They didn't have any ID on them.' The Guadalupe River rose to its second-highest height on record today at a height of 34 feet, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed early Friday morning. The river's highest height was 36 feet, recorded during a major flood in 1987 when nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the town of Hunt. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr has issued a disaster declaration after severe flooding overnight resulted in widespread damage, injury and loss of life. The city's local Walmart is being used as a temporary reunification center for those displaced by the floods. A local utility company reported a 'major outage' impacting more than 2,600 customers across Kerrville, Center Point and Hunt. The Guadalupe River rose to its second-highest height on record today at a height of 34 feet. The river's highest height was 36 feet, recorded during a major flood in 1987 when nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the town of Hunt Officials say restoration efforts have been slowed by flooding and downed power lines. All of Kerr County is considered to be an 'extremely active scene', Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said in the statement. 'Our Office is working with a wide variety of local and state agencies to respond to calls and rescues,' Leitha added. 'Residents are encouraged to shelter in place and not attempt travel. Those near creeks, streams, and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground.'
