The devastating scenes from Texas following the huge flash flood have impacted everyone involved. The heartbreaking accounts emerging from the southern state about individuals desperately attempting to save themselves are truly tragic, and now, another story has surfaced.
In an interview with the NY Post, a local resident recounted how a husband clung to his baby’s hand while holding onto a tree, only to be swept away by the fierce floodwaters.
Over 100 lives have been lost due to the massive flash flood in Texas. Rescue efforts are still underway as many individuals remain unaccounted for, and the destruction is extensive.
Camp Mystic, the girls’ camp, has confirmed that at least 27 children and counselors have perished, with 11 still missing at the time of this report.
“Our hearts are shattered along with the families facing this unimaginable tragedy. We are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers,” the camp stated on their website, noting that they are in touch with local authorities as they continue the search for the “missing girls.”
“We request your ongoing prayers, respect, and privacy for all the families affected. May the Lord continue to surround us with His presence,” the statement concluded.
A resident shared a haunting account of a father being swept away with his children.
Amid this overwhelming nightmare, people lost their lives while trying to save others. Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland was among those who attempted to ensure the safety of the children, but tragically, he lost his life.
“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he cherished and cared for,” his grandson, George Eastland, shared on Instagram, as reported by ABC. “A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to countless young women, he may no longer walk this earth, but his influence will forever remain in the lives he impacted.
As the days pass since the terrible flash flood, more witnesses are stepping forward with chilling accounts of what they had to endure. One individual, Lorena Guillen, who runs the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerr County, the area most affected by the devastating floods, remembered a heartbreaking scene where a father held onto a tree with his babies, refusing to let them go to the residents who were trying to assist. Shortly after, they were all taken away by the water.
“My husband was in the water pleading with them, ‘Please throw me your baby!’ The man was holding his children tightly, and then he was swept away,” Lorena Guillen shared with the NY Post.
We heard people screaming all night long.
The father has been identified as John Burges, a resident of Liberty, Texas, according to KWTX. His wife, Julia, and their two sons are still unaccounted for. However, their daughter, who was at a nearby summer camp, is safe. The family had been at the RV park owned by Guillen for the Fourth of July weekend.
“The kids were so thrilled to be here,” Guillen added. She mentioned that the entire RV park was destroyed and that she would always remember the terrifying screams of those being swept away.
“We heard people screaming throughout the night. The cabins from the neighboring RV park were floating by and crashing into the trees. ‘Help me! Help me!’ — that was the main cry. There was so much screaming, it was overwhelming.”
Lorena Guillen also mentioned that she couldn’t get any sleep, and in the middle of the night, she went to the water’s edge.
“My husband and I rushed down. By that time, the first level of the RVs was already being carried away. The river had risen about 10 feet at that moment. A family of five was trapped because they were closest to the river. Their RV was floating away. It was pitch black, so dark,” she concluded.
We will always remember those who lost their lives in this great tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
