Latest news with #ChristiniaWilson
New York Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- New York Post
Dad dies after almost cutting arm ‘clean off' while trying to save family in Texas flooding: ‘I'm not going to make it'
A Texas dad of two died while trying to save his family from the devastating flooding — nearly cutting his arm 'clean off' when he punched through a window as their home quickly filled with water. Julian Ryan, 27, his mother, his fiancée Christinia Wilson, and the couple's 6-year-old and 13-month-old children all huddled in the bedroom of their trailer home in Ingram as the surging waters of the Guadalupe River shocked them awake at 4 a.m. Friday, according to The New York Times. 'It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in,' Wilson told local KHOU. Advertisement 4 Julian Ryan died after saving his family from the deadly flood waters in Texas on July 4, 2025. GoFundMe With his two babies already perched on a floating mattress, the door of the bedroom burst open, flooding the room — and Ryan made a drastic move to save his family. The brave father punched a hole in a bedroom window — severing an artery in his arm and almost cutting the limb 'clean off,' family members told KHOU. Advertisement Wilson told the outlet that she repeatedly called 911 but that no one was able to get to their home in time to save her valiant fiancé. 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all,' Ryan told his family as he bled out in the flooding bedroom. The waters continued to rise until the force ripped the trailer in half and the family was able to flee to safety without their brave dad, son, and husband, according to the Times. 4 Julian Ryan with Christinia Wilson and their children. KHOU 11/YouTube Advertisement 4 Christinia Wilson speaks to a reporter after her fiancé's death. KHOU 11/YouTube 4 Flood waters rage in the Texas Hill Country. 'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost,' Wilson said. Advertisement '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,' a GoFundMe that has raised over $25,000 read. Ryan's body was not recovered until hours later on Friday after the waters in Kerr County began to subside. The shocking flash flood has claimed the lives of 43, including 15 children, with as many as 22 girls from Christian summer retreat Camp Mystic still unaccounted for.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Family reveals desperate final words of brave Texas father who died saving kids and fiancée from floods
The family of a Texas father who died while rescuing his loved ones from sudden flash flooding in Texas shared his final, heartbreaking words: 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.' Julian Ryan, 27, died early Friday morning, July 4, after fast-moving floodwaters from the Guadalupe River - which surged over 30 feet above its normal height - swept into his family's home in Ingram. The flooding, triggered by heavy rains overnight, left little time for families along the river to react. Ryan's fiancée, Christinia Wilson, said the water surged into their home so quickly that it reached knee-level in just 20 minutes. '[Water] just started pouring in, we had to fight the door to get it closed tried to hold the door closed, just so that too much didn't come in,' she told KHOU. 'We ran back into the room and we started calling 911 but it just kept coming. We had no choice but to get out.' In a final act of heroism, Ryan punched through a window to help his fiancée, their children and his mother escape to the roof. But, the glass tore through his arm, severing an artery and nearly detaching the limb. 'It almost cut it clean off,' Wilson said of her loved one's catastrophic injury. Despite the severe injury, Ryan stayed focused on getting his family out safely. But with emergency responders unable to reach them in time, the father of two succumbed to his wounds hours later. 'About six o'clock my husband was dead. He had lost all of it... all of his blood,' she said. Holding back tears, Wilson recalled her fiancé's harrowing final moments. 'He looked at me, the kids, and his mother and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all,"' she said, adding that Ryan's body was recovered later that morning after the water receded. Loved ones say Ryan's bravery and selflessness will never be forgotten. 'He died a hero,' his sister, Connie Salas, said. 'That will never go unnoticed.' The heroic father's family is now mourning the loss of a man they describe as kind, funny and fiercely devoted to those he loved. 'He's the kindest person I've ever met in my life,' close friend Kris Roberts said. 'I'll forever love him no matter what.' As they grieve, Ryan's relatives are also calling for changes in flood preparedness. They believe earlier warnings - like flood sirens - could have saved lives. 'If we'd heard a siren, we would've left,' Wilson said. 'We had so many safe places to go.' A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses and recover from the loss. In a statement posted to the fundraiser, Ryan's relatives said his death has left 'an unfillable void.' 'Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero,' the family wrote. 'While we are eternally grateful for his sacrifice, we are shattered by our loss. His sudden departure has left an unfillable void in all our lives. 'He was known to have an infectious laugh and unwavering kindness. He touched countless lives with his humor and will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,' the fundraising page reads. As of Saturday afternoon, the death toll has risen to 50, with 27 children from a summer camp situated along the river - Camp Mystic - still missing, according to CNN. Search and rescue efforts remain the top priority in central Texas, according to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, as crews continue to search for the missing along the Guadalupe River. 'We're really focused on life safety,' Rice said. 'Our primary focus is on the search and rescue of every single person involved, and we'll continue through the night to make sure that happens.' He noted that recovery operations were also underway Saturday, with authorities working to identify victims. 'We knew today was going to be that day, so our numbers are going to constantly be changing,' he said. 'We're in a marathon,' Rice added. 'And we've got to make sure we always keep that in mind - and look after each other.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Texas flood: stories of survival and pleas for help finding missing loved ones
Reports are beginning to emerge of extraordinary stories of survival from the Texas Hill Country floods, even as the official death toll continued mounting, reaching at least 27 on Saturday. A young woman was dramatically rescued after she was carried 12 miles down the Guadalupe River by raging flood waters, and later pictured clinging to branches of a tree. The woman – who has not been identified publicly – was rescued, News 4 San Antonio reported. Erin Burgess told the outlet that the rain on Thursday night and into Friday was 'pretty heavy, but no big deal'. She was woken by the storm at 3.30am, and waters around her home in the Bumble Bee Hills neighborhood in Kerr county started to rise. Within 2o minutes, she said, water was coming in through the walls and rushing through the front and back doors. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree and waiting for the water to recede enough that she was able to walk up the hill to a neighbor's home. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung on to it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' she said. She clung to her 19-year-old son, Burgess, through the ordeal. 'Thankfully he's over 6ft tall. That's the only thing that saved me – was hanging on to him,' she told the outlet. In Ingram, Texas, the fiancee of one man described how he died saving her and their children. Christinia Wilson told the Texas news station KHOU that her fiance, Julian Ryan, severed an artery in his arm punching out a window to get her, their children and his mother out of their home as flood waters rushed in early on Friday. Wilson said she kept calling for emergency help, but no one could arrive in time to save Ryan. 'He looked at me and the kids and my mother-in-law and said: 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all,'' Wilson told KHOU. Ryan's sister, Connie Salas, said to the station: 'He died a hero, and that will never go unnoticed.' Officials have said that a flood watch was issued on Thursday afternoon with estimated rainfalls, but that was upgraded to a flood warning for at least 30,000 people overnight. Officials have also said that the area around the Guadalupe River, known as 'flood alley', does not have a flood warning system. As of Saturday morning, 850 people had been rescued by emergency services, with 167 having been rescued by helicopter. The devastation has triggered a scramble to locate as many as two dozen children missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp on the banks of the river, but the missing also include campers who were not connected to that camp. Among them are four young adults who were last heard from at 4am on Friday morning when they were attempting to reach higher ground. They have been identified by family as Ella Cahill, Aidan Heartfield, Joyce Badon and Reese Manchaca. 'My little sister, her boyfriend, and their two friends are missing due to flood,' Mackenzie Hodulik said on a Facebook post. 'Last we heard from them was at 4am. They were trying to escape home to get to higher ground.' Among the confirmed dead were at least nine children, officials said. As of Saturday morning, other families and children who were still missing include the following. Anyone who sees them or knows where they are is asked to call authorities immediately. The Knetsch family was staying at the HTR RV park in Kerrville and went missing after the water rose. The Moellers were also staying at the HTR RV park in Kerrville and went missing after the water rose. The Brake family was staying in a cabin at HRT TX campgrounds in Kerrville. They hadn't been heard from after the flooding. Lainey was at Camp Mystic when the flooding hit. She hasn't been heard from since. Her parents, Ben and Natalie Landry, shared a photo with KHOU 11 reporter Amanda Henderson. Kellyanne Lytal was at Camp Mystic and is still unaccounted for. Her father was asking for thoughts and prayers. Greta Toranzo, a Sinclair elementary student in Houston, was missing from Camp Mystic. Her family asked the school to share her photo while they search for her. Jennifer Harber and her brother, RJ, haven't heard from RJ's children, Brooke and Blair, as well as the siblings' parents, Charlene and Mike. They were at a house in Hunt, Texas, when the flood waters took over. They're also searching for two dogs: Daisy Mae and Lilly Lou. Tianna Mabey was last seen at about 5am at the HTR campground in Kerrville. Her daughter said her mother's boyfriend was rescued from a tree. Family members said Holly Frizzell was at her home in Casa Bonita when the flooding started. She hasn't been seen since Friday at about 3am. The family of Pam and Mike Smith, Brian Carpenter and Blake were asking for help finding them after the devastating flooding in central Texas. They were last known to be at their home in Casa Bonita.
