Lt. Governor Dan Patrick spoke at the State Emergency Operations Center in Austin yesterday and shared some bad news concerning the girls who are still missing after the unexpected and severe storms in Central Texas this week. Around 750 girls went to Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls only on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Families, first responders, and the whole community are astonished that twenty-three of them are still missing.
A storm that no one saw coming dropped more than a foot of rain in less than three hours on Friday, July 4, soon after noon. The river rose to its second-highest level ever recorded because of this.
Cabins that were barely a few feet from the water’s edge flooded in minutes, forcing counselors and many campers to execute emergency evacuation preparations. With the help of officials, most girls were able to get to higher ground, but the floodwaters were so fierce that they took over huge parts of the camp before rescue workers could get there.
Families of the missing people are caught in limbo since Ingram Elementary School and nearby churches have set up makeshift information centers for them. Mothers cry as they talk about the last time they heard their daughters’ voices or got a message and look at images of them. One father, whose voice was shaking with emotion, talked about how he and his wife had to walk back after the National Guard told them to stop looking. Another mother told how her daughter insisted on staying behind to help younger campers tie life vests to poles, even though the risks were getting worse.
A lot more people have been looking for and rescuing people since Lieutenant Governor Patrick spoke. More than 300 first responders, including Texas Parks and Wildlife dive teams, U.S. Coast Guard boat crews, volunteer Swiftwater Rescue professionals, and National Guard aircraft, are carefully searching both the underwater remains of Camp Mystic and a two-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River downstream. They’ve already found 19 bodies of people who died in the flood using high-resolution sonar scanners, drones with thermal imaging, and K-9 teams who can smell humans above water. Every find illustrates how devastating the flood was and how much more work needs to be done.
Local officials say that the fast-moving water, buried trash, and unstable riverbanks are making things harder than before. Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County said, “We’re basically looking for kids stuck under buildings that have fallen down in dirty, murky water.” “It’s hard and dangerous, but we won’t stop until we’ve checked out every possible lead.”
People have been giving the National Weather Service a hard time lately because they think that stronger or earlier flash-flood warnings would have rescued some of the campers at Camp Mystic. The San Angelo and San Antonio forecast offices lost significant jobs because of budget cuts over the past two years. Some folks argue that these cuts cost them critical hours since their antiquated radar equipment couldn’t keep up with how quickly the storm got worse. A spokesperson for the NWS noted that even though they gave out regular warnings, the rain fell faster than they had expected.
Even though the forecasts don’t agree, one thing is clear: Camp Mystic and the other communities are still grappling with a disaster that few saw coming. In response, churches and nonprofits have come together to supply search teams and families who have had to abandon their homes anything from sandwiches and bottled beverages to dry clothes and sleeping bags that won’t get wet. Companies in the neighborhood have donated flat-bottom boats, inflatable rafts, and flashlights that won’t get wet. Volunteers have turned school gyms into family reunification centers, where they exhibit images of the missing and relay real-time information from rescue command posts.
Lawmakers from both parties at the State Capitol want a complete examination of the flood prevention and weather warning systems along the Guadalupe River. Some suggestions include to upgrade flood gauges, invest in community-based alert systems like text messaging that are linked to county sirens, and make it easier for state forecasters and local emergency managers to talk to each other. “We owe it to these families and to every Texan who lives near our waterways to learn from this tragedy and get ready for the storms of tomorrow,” said Lieutenant Governor Patrick.
Parents are still waiting for news, hoping that some of the missing girls are still alive. As they hauled campers out of cottages, counselors who survived the flood remember hearing faint cries. They still think that some of the girls might have found sanctuary in the woods or underbrush nearby or upstream. One counselor said, “We’re not giving up on any of them.” She sounded strong, even if she was tired. “Every child should be able to go home.”
The fading light of the day makes the fields that were flooded gleam while rescue boats float along the currents that are still there. The hunt for the missing campers at Camp Mystic goes on, powered by determination, faith, and an unshakeable trust in the power of community. Every hour that goes by is a test of strength for the families. The search for those 23 girls has become a serious duty and a beacon of hope for everyone involved.
