Latest news with #JeffRamsey
Newsweek
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Dad's Final Voicemails During Texas Floods Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As floodwaters rose in Kerrville, Texas, Jeff Ramsey left final voicemails for his children from his camper before he and his wife died. Jeff Ramsey, 61, and his wife, Tanya Ramsey, 46, died in the catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children who were at a summer camp. His son, Jake Ramsey, told ABC News Live he and his sister "woke up to the worst voicemail you could possibly imagine getting on a 4th of July morning." The Context Texas was devastated by flash floods Fourth of July weekend, with much of the flooding happening near San Antonio while people slept. At least 119 people have been killed and 173 people are believed to be missing, according to officials on Wednesday morning. The flooding has marked one of the deadliest U.S. disaster involving children in decades. Vehicles sit submerged as a search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding on July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. Vehicles sit submerged as a search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding on July 6, 2025, in Hunt, To Know The voicemails were "just my dad telling us he loves us. ...He pretty much said, 'I think this is it,' " Jake said, according to the report. His dad and his stepmom had been staying in a camper near a riverbank when floodwaters swelled. Jeff Ramsey used his final moments to say goodbye to his children and to alert family members nearby of the rising floodwaters, his son said. He "was always looking out for his family first," Jake said. "He was just all about helping his community, helping veterans. And he just loved his country and loved us more than anything. And so I couldn't have asked for a better dad." Jake said his dad's efforts saved lives. His stepmom's brother and mother were staying in a cabin just 100 yards away, and they were able to escape after receiving his call. His dad and stepmom died in the floods, but their puppy, Chloe, was rescued. "We were ecstatic to hear that Chloe was still alive and to know that she was coming back home," Jake said. "She's just such a huge part of my dad and Tanya's heart, so to have her back here with us, it means the world to us." The floods were triggered partially by remnants of Tropical Storm Barry. Texas Hill Country, where a large portion of the flooding took place, is often called "flash flood alley." It features steep terrain and sparse vegetation, creating ideal conditions for sudden, fast-rising waters. Search efforts remain underway to find the missing persons. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday: "The Trump Administration is working with State and Local Officials on the ground in Texas in response to the tragic flooding that took place yesterday. Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly. Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!" What Happens Next President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are expected to visit the region on Friday.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
Dad who left kids voicemail before he was killed in Texas floods got evacuation alert after he was swept away
A Texas father who left his kids a heartbreaking voicemail moments before he was killed in the state's hellish flooding was sent a text message urging him to evacuate — but the alert came too late. Jeff Ramsey, 61, received a text from the Kerrville RV camp where he was staying with his wife and dog advising him to leave the grounds at 4:49 a.m. on July 4 as the floodwaters were already sweeping away him to his death, text messages obtained by The Post show. 'We have just received an emergency notification from the fire department that we do need to evacuate the park due to the river flooding,' the alert from HTR RV Park read. 'Please gather your things and you may go to the church parking lot and wait for further notification.' Advertisement 3 Jeff Ramsey, 61, and his 24-year-old son, Jake. Jeff was camping and swept away and killed by the Texas flooding. Obtained by the NY Post But that was no help to Ramsey and his wife, 46-year-old Tanya, who minutes earlier had hung up the phone after calling their son and daughter to tell them goodbye because they were about to die. 'He got that text as they were floating away. Literally right as he left my sister that goodbye message,' their 24-year-old son, Jake Ramsey, told The Post. 'It's your worst nightmare.' Advertisement 'Right, literally, the same time he left her that voicemail, as they were getting swept away, they received an evacuation text from their RV park saying 'Gather your belongings and head out as soon as possible.' It was ridiculous,' he added. The Ramseys' heartbreaking story comes as questions swirl about how Kerrville and greater Kerr County warned locals as the Guadalupe River rose to nearly 30 feet in under an hour that fateful morning. 3 A text message Ramsey received urging him to evacuate — after he and his wife had already been swept away. Obtained by the NY Post National Weather Service flash flood warnings were issued to local officials just after 1 a.m., but Kerrville's mayor has said he wasn't aware of the unfolding flooding until around 5:30 a.m. — about an hour after the Ramseys had already been swept away to their deaths. Advertisement A county 'CodeRed' alert was sent to local phones around 6 a.m., according to the Texas Tribune. It is unclear what fire department emergency notification the RV park was referring to in the text sent to the Ramseys and other campers. Rushing water was audible in the message Ramsey left his kids, while his wife was heard in the background screaming 'We're dying, we're dying!' 'You never heard this guy panic but we heard panic and fear in his voice,' his son said of the message. 'He called me once he realized there was no hope. It was a short voicemail. He just left me a voicemail. He said, 'Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn't look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her,'' he added, referring to his sister, Rachel. Advertisement 3 Jeff and his wife, Tanya, and their dog, Chloe, were all swept away — but Chloe managed to survive. Obtained by the NY Post Kerr County was the epicenter of the destruction that ravaged Texas during the holiday disaster, which has claimed the lives of at least 119 people. At least 95 of them were in Kerr County — 36 of whom were children. And more than 150 people are still missing in the area. Miraculously, Ramsey's dog — a whippet named Chloe — survived the flooding and had been reunited with his kids. But they are also left with questions about why so few people were aware of the danger they were in when they bedded down the night before — and why something like a local alarm system hadn't been installed years ago. 'The infrastructure for that seemed to have been outdated. It seemed like a lousy effort to evacuate. It should have been something where we saw a possibility we know the night before,' the son said. 'There should have been more that was done. The only thing I am aware that was done was my dad was sent a text after it was already too late. He already said goodbye to me and my sister.'
09-07-2025
- General
Dad left goodbye messages for his kids before dying in Texas floods: 'The worst voicemail you could possibly imagine'
In his final moments before floodwaters overtook his camper in Kerrville, Texas, Jeff Ramsey left goodbye messages for his children. "My sister and I, we woke up to the worst voicemail you could possibly imagine getting on a 4th of July morning," Jake Ramsey told ABC News Live. "It's just my dad telling us he loves us. ... He pretty much said, 'I think this is it.'" Jake Ramsey's dad, 61-year-old Jeff Ramsey, and his stepmom, 46-year-old Tanya Ramsey, both died in the floods, he said. Jeff Ramsey "was always looking out for his family first," his son said. "He was just all about helping his community, helping veterans. And he just loved his country and loved us more than anything. And so I couldn't have asked for a better dad." During the Friday morning chaos, as the water rose around him, Jeff Ramsey also made sure to use those last minutes to warn his family about the impending danger, his son said. Tanya Ramsey's brother and mother were staying in a cabin 100 yards away, and Jeff Ramsey's call to them gave them enough time to escape, Jake Ramsey said. Tanya Ramsey's brother then searched for the couple, but couldn't find them. However, he did rescue the Ramseys' puppy, Chloe. "We were ecstatic to hear that Chloe was still alive and to know that she was coming back home," Jake Ramsey said. "She's just such a huge part of my dad and Tanya's heart, so to have her back here with us, it means the world to us," he said. Friday morning's catastrophic flooding has claimed the lives of at least 95 people in Kerr County, including 36 children, officials said on Wednesday. The county said 161 people remain missing. As questions swirl surrounding the timeline of who was notified about the flooding when, and if more could have been done, Jake Ramsey said, "I know there could have been much more done to prevent this tragedy, and it just sucks to see political division over the whole thing." "But I do have confidence, especially with today's administration, that we're going to get stuff done and we're going to move forward the right way in the future," he said.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dad left goodbye voicemails for his kids before dying in Texas floods
In his final moments before floodwaters overtook his camper in Kerrville, Texas, Jeff Ramsey left goodbye messages for his children. "My sister and I, we woke up to the worst voicemail you could possibly imagine getting on a 4th of July morning," Jake Ramsey told ABC News Live. "It's just my dad telling us he loves us. ... He pretty much said, 'I think this is it.'" Jake Ramsey's dad, 61-year-old Jeff Ramsey, and his stepmom, 46-year-old Tanya Ramsey, both died in the floods, he said. MORE: Texas flooding victims: From young campers to a dad saving his family, what we know about the lives lost Jeff Ramsey "was always looking out for his family first," his son said. "He was just all about helping his community, helping veterans. And he just loved his country and loved us more than anything. And so I couldn't have asked for a better dad." During the Friday morning chaos, as the water rose around him, Jeff Ramsey also made sure to use those last minutes to warn his family about the impending danger, his son said. MORE: Texas flooding live updates Tanya Ramsey's brother and mother were staying in a cabin 100 yards away, and Jeff Ramsey's call to them gave them enough time to escape, Jake Ramsey said. Tanya Ramsey's brother then searched for the couple, but couldn't find them. However, he did rescue the Ramseys' puppy, Chloe. "We were ecstatic to hear that Chloe was still alive and to know that she was coming back home," Jake Ramsey said. "She's just such a huge part of my dad and Tanya's heart, so to have her back here with us, it means the world to us," he said. MORE: First the rain, then the flood: How Camp Mystic campers woke to devastation on July 4 Friday morning's catastrophic flooding has claimed the lives of at least 95 people in Kerr County, including 36 children, officials said on Wednesday. The county said 161 people remain missing. As questions swirl surrounding the timeline of who was notified about the flooding when, and if more could have been done, Jake Ramsey said, "I know there could have been much more done to prevent this tragedy, and it just sucks to see political division over the whole thing." "But I do have confidence, especially with today's administration, that we're going to get stuff done and we're going to move forward the right way in the future," he said.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Texas floods victim left harrowing death voicemails for his children as water rushed in behind him: Live updates
A father left heartbreaking voicemails for his children after he realized he and his wife were being swept away by the deadly Texas floods. Jeff Ramsey, 61, and his wife Tanya, 46, were camping at HTR RV Park in Kerrville with their whippet dog, Chloe, when the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on July 4. The father used his final moments to send a message to his two children, Jake, 24, and Rachel, 23, letting them know he loved them as the waters raged in the background. More than 160 people are believed to be missing days after a destructive wall of water took the lives of over 100 people. At least 27 little girls and their counselors from the century-old, all-girls Christian camp tragically died when the 'tsunami wall of water' struck the campsite before daybreak on Friday. Five campers and one 19-year-old counselor are among at least 173 people still missing in the floodwaters five days on from the tragedy. Officials in Texas are facing mounting questions about whether they did enough to get people out of harm's way. Governor Greg Abbott has offered a sassy excuse for why he won't entertain questions about who is 'to blame' for the devastating floods. Abbott held a press conference on Tuesday to update the public on the devastating death toll, vowing to stop at nothing until 'every person' is accounted for. But when he was asked who was 'to blame' for the tragedy, Abbott went on the offensive, using a football analogy to warn the reporter that only 'losers' cast blame in a time like this. It comes as a chilling new flash flood killed at least three people in New Mexico Tuesday night. Texas flood victim left heartbreaking voicemails for his kids as the waters rushed in Jeff Ramesy, 61, left devastating voicemails for his children seconds before the raging Texas floodwaters swept him and his wife away. Ramesy and his wife, Tanya, 46, were camping at HTR RV Park in Kerrville with their whippet dog, Chloe, when the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on July 4. His children, Jake, 24, and Rachel, 23, awoke to find a harrowing message from their father with the sounds of the raging floodwater in the background. 'Once they realized there was nothing they could do, my stepmom was on the phone with her mom while my dad made a call to me and my sister. We were asleep. He left us a message saying he was not going to make it and that he loved us so much, telling us goodbye,' Jake told the New York Post. 'He called me once he realized there was no hope. It was a short voicemail. He just left me a voicemail. He said, "Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn't look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her."' Jake noted it was out of character for his dad to sound afraid, and his stepmom was screaming in the background, 'We're dying, we're dying!' 'You never heard this guy panic but we heard panic and fear in his voice,' he said. Tanya was killed in the flood, but Jeff has not been found as of Wednesday morning, according to the family. A local animal rescue found their beloved pup and will reunite her with the family. 12:57 Three dead in New Mexico flood A man, a four-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy were swept away Tuesday night by floodwaters in southern New Mexico. 'Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,' Village of Rudioso Mayor Lynn Crawford said. 'We are united in our sorrow and our commitment to supporting one another as we face this devastating loss together.' Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The water had receded by Tuesday night and search and rescue and swift water rescue teams were scouring the town for the missing people, while public works crews cleared debris from the roadways. Some cars were left stranded in the mud. 12:55 Mom of three Camp Mystic campers shares their story of survival Lisa Miller's three daughters, 14-year-old Eliza, 12-year-old Genevieve and nine-year-old Birdie, all miraculously survived the deadly flood. Mom describes daughters' survival at Camp Mystic during Texas floods At least 27 little girls and their counselors from the century-old, all-girls Christian camp tragically died when the 'tsunami wall of water' struck the campsite before daybreak on Friday.
