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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
A girls' summer camp cut short by deadly disaster
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days ago. Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends. But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history. Smajstrla was among those killed. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. Photos show the eerie aftermath: The bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, silent witnesses of a summer camp cut short. Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs. At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead. Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500 feet from the riverbank, US media reports. Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website. Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships. But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly. The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps. Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching. Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding. Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time. A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful." Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time. Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame. "The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said. "Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be." As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the clock. Kerr County Sheriff Larry L Leitha said on Sunday that the search for survivors continues but noted that the numbers will continue to change and increase as time goes on. "Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice said. Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come. Texas flood victims: Girl 'having time of her life' and 'heart and soul' of camp A boy saved by barbed wire, a 'destroyed' camp and missed warning signs in Texas floods Search for missing continues as Texas floods kill 51, including 15 children
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Camp Mystic: A girls' summer camp cut short by deadly disaster
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer, and adventure just days the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days - "having the time of her life" with her friends. But the next day, the camp she, and so many other young girls loved, turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history. Smajstrla was among those killed."She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on show the eerie aftermath: The bunk beds are still there - mud-caked and toppled over, silent witnesses of a summer camp cut short. Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs. At least 59 people - among them camp's longtime director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, and several young campers - have been confirmed dead. Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor remain missing. Many of the girls who remain missing were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500 feet from the riverbank, US media reports. Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere, according to its website. Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps. Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills also faced flooding. Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time. A statement from the camp said, "Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful." Questions are now mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame."The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water?'" Roy said. "Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be."As recovery efforts continue, families wait anxiously for news of the missing. Search and rescue teams - some navigating by boat, others combing through debris - are working around the County Sheriff Larry L Leitha said on Sunday that the search for survivors continues but noted that the numbers will continue to change and increase as time goes on."Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop," City Manager Dalton Rice Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Pictured: All the girls killed after Texas floods ravaged Camp Mystic
At least five girls were killed and several missing after devastating flash floods swept through a Texas summer camp. Eleven girls are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and five of their fellow campers have died after the rushing waters destroyed the all-girls private Christian summer camp. The total death toll has risen to 59, including 29 children, after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level Friday. The beloved director of Camp Mystic, Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, died while trying to save girls as a month's worth of rain dropped in a matter of minutes. One week before the tragedy, the camp shared videos on social media of the campers happily prancing around on stage during their first term chorus and dance production. The youngest campers slept on low-laying 'flats' inside the camp's cabins, whereas older girls slept in cabins on higher ground, according to the NYT. Most of the missing girls are from the younger age bracket, who were sleeping just yards away from the banks of the Guadalupe River. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that some 750 girls had been staying at the camp when the floodwaters hit. Here is what we know about all of the girls who died in the flood: Renee Smajstrla, 8 The family of an eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla has confirmed that she was among those who lost her life during the tragic floods. Her uncle, Shawn Salta, shared on Facebook: 'We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday. 'She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.' Janie Hunt, 9 The mother of Dallas girl Janie Hunt confirmed to local media her daughter was one of the campers killed in the flood. 'We are just devastated,' she told NBC 5. Sarah Marsh, 8 Alabama native Sarah Marsh died after the waters swept through Camp Mystic, according to her family. 'Thank you for the outpouring of love and sympathy! We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever! We love you so much sweet Sarah,' her grandmother said, according to The Kerrville Daily Times. Lila Bonner, 9 The family of Lila Bonner, who was sharing a cabin at the camp with her best friend Eloise Peck, confirmed her passing to NBC News. 'In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time,' the family said. 'We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss.' Eloise Peck, 8 Dallas girl Eloise Peck, who recently finished second grade at Bradfield Elementary with her best friend Lili, also died in the flood. 'Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals,' her mother, Missy Peck, told FOX 4. 'She passed away with her cabinmate and best friend Lila Bonner who also died. Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us. Especially her Mommy.' Multiple people lost their lives in the biblical flooding who were not attending Camp Mystic. The death toll currently stands at 59 - including 38 adults. Texas's Division of Emergency Management predicted the number of dead as a result of catastrophic flooding in Kerrville would top 100, sources told Daily Mail. People have been desperately posting about their missing friends and relatives in a bid to help the search effort to find them, following the flooding. Among the children, who were not attending the camp but tragically lost their lives, are two other young sisters who visiting their grandparents when the flood rushed through their cabin. Blair Harber, 13 Two sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, were among those who were killed in the deadly Texas floods. They were not attending Camp Mystic when the natural disaster struck. They were with their grandparents at a cabin along the Guadalupe River when they were swept away, reported FOX 4. The girls' parents were staying at another cabin and are safe. Their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are missing. Brooke Harber, 11 Brooke Harber, Blair's younger sister, was confirmed dead over the holiday weekend. Blair and Brooker were eighth grade and sixth grade students respectively at St. Rita Catholic School, according to their priest, Father Joshua J. Whitfield. 'Even if we may never fully understand why such tragedies happen, we are called to respond with love, compassion, and prayer,' Whitfield said. 'We will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them.' Missing girls from Camp Mystic At least 11 girls from Camp Mystic are missing from the camp. One counselor is also still unaccounted for, Larry Leitha, the county sheriff, said on Sunday morning. Camp Mystic attendees Kellyanne Lytal and Lainey Landry are among the missing children, according to KENS 5. Wrecked father, Ty Badon, told CNN on Saturday that his daughter and her friends are missing and have not been seen or heard from since the disastrous rush of water. His daughter, Joyce Badon, and her friends, Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca and Aiden Heartfield were last heard from around 4am on Friday. Authorities and search teams are still making their way through the wreckage to hopefully account for those missing. Haunting photos from Sunday showed teams searching through vegetation, as young girls accompanied by adults walked around what is left of Camp Mystic. On Sunday, Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Texas amid a swirl of criticism of his administration for making major cuts to federal funding, impacting agencies like FEMA which lead the response to natural disasters. 'I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. 'The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. 'Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Camp Mystic director is killed during biblical Texas flooding while trying to save girls
The director of Camp Mystic was killed while trying to save girls from the horrific flooding that swept through the Texas summer camp. Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, was killed while trying to rescue campers from the rushing waters, reported KSAT. Twenty-seven girls are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and five of their fellow campers have died after the rushing waters destroyed the all-girls private Christian summer camp. The death toll has risen to at least 51 people, including 15 children after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level Friday. His nephew, Gardner Eastland, confirmed the death in a Facebook post on Saturday. Eastland's wife, Tweety, was found safe at their home, according to The Kerrville Daily Times. The Eastlands have owned and operated Camp Mystic since 1974, and many viewed him as a father figure at the camp. 'It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,' The Kerrville Daily Times guest columnist Paige Sumner said in a tribute to Eastland. Eastland died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post. The couple has 11 grandchildren, and several of their children and their partners help manage the camp. According to the camp website, the Eastland's oldest son, Richard, manages the camp's kitchen; their youngest son, Edward, and his wife are directors of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River. The couple attended the University of Texas in Austin and reside at the camp grounds. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Camp Mystic on the banks of the Guadalupe River, where some 750 girls had been staying when the floodwaters hit, had been 'horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster.' 'The height the rushing water reached to the top of the cabins was shocking,' he said on X after visiting the camp on Saturday. This is a developing story.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Texas flood: Camp Mystic director's body found; Richard Eastland died saving camp girls
Camp Mystic director Richard Eastland's body found; died saving camp girls Richard 'Dick' Eastland, co-owner and director of the renowned Camp Mystic, has been confirmed dead in Hunt, western Kerr County, Texas after flash flood swept through the state. Texas Public Radio reported that Eastland died while attempting to rescue campers caught in the floods. Eastland, 74, swept away in the surging waters as he tried to lead a group of young girls to safety on friday. His death was confirmed by his nephew through a Facebook post. Eastland had been associated with Camp Mystic since 1974, when he and his wife Tweety acquired the facility. The couple were only the third owners since the camp was founded in 1926. Eastland was regarded as a fatherly figure who taught students fishing and was very caring. Eastland had previously survived brain cancer and remained deeply involved in the community. He served on the Hunt Independent School District Board and had coached both the West Kerr County Little League and the West Kerr County Little Dribblers, according to the Kerrville Daily Times. Texas flooding has claimed at least 43 lives across the state, including four young campers from Mystic. As rescue efforts continue, 23 campers remain unaccounted for.
