<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Julian Ryan's final words to his mother as floodwaters quickly engulfed their trailer home were simply, "I love you."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He had made a split-second decision to thrust his arm through a window to help his fiancée, two young kids and mum escape the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/texas-floods-search-for-missing-girls-plows-forward-after-flash-flood-kills-at-least-people-in-texas/9da0f633-51b1-46f9-8b04-2e0c8ba86c6f" rel="" target="_blank" title="catastrophic flood tearing through Kerr County, Texas"><span>catastrophic flood tearing through Kerr County, Texas</span></a><span>, swallowing everything in its path.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That last-ditch effort, an act of bravery, ultimately cost him his life.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-man-killed-struck-by-bus-at-taronga-zoo/a059e633-1a7a-4e4d-a8b4-8e8870a3ff61" target="_blank"><strong><span>Tributes to 'extraordinary figure' in motorsport killed in bicycle-bus crash outside Taronga Zoo</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The glass had cut an artery in his arm.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ryan's mother held him as he bled and took his last breath, his sister, Connie Salas, told CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He went out a hero," Salas said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/texas-floods-victims-children-swept-away-at-summer-camp/2a64be8d-f38f-4110-8038-cc8533a18e7b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the pitch-black, storm-lashed hours before dawn on Friday, surging floodwaters unexpectedly ravaged the region, including a campsite filled with sleeping children.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Four months' worth of rain fell in just hours and the nearby Guadalupe River rose over 20 feet, sweeping homes, cars, campers and cabins downstream.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When the sunrise came and the storm softened, the full weight of the disaster came into view.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/darling-downs-zoo-queensland-woman-bitten-by-big-cat/c94d0a80-530c-4ce5-9c41-562caa77a07d" target="_blank"><strong><span>Zoo worker 'loses arm' after being 'grabbed' by big cat at Queensland zoo</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hundreds were missing, including over two dozen girls at a summer camp, and as minutes stretched into hours, hope gave way to grief.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least 80 people, including 21 children, were killed in the catastrophic Texas floods and the death toll continues to rise, according to local officials.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ryan's body wasn't recovered until waters receded, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now Ryan's family and their heartbroken Texas community are reckoning with the depth of the tragedy — and searching for answers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Here's what we know about the victims.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/qantas-cyber-attack-im-a-qantas-customer-what-should-i-do-now/e9451c54-4dd8-4536-8d74-d2f473fb6ebc" target="_blank"><strong><span>What Qantas customers should do next following the cyberattack</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><strong><span>A father of two and his final heroic act</span></strong></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It had been an exhausting shift for Ryan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 27-year-old dishwasher had finished working at a local restaurant before returning to his Ingram, Texas, home, </span><em><span>The New York Times</span></em><span> reported.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was finally asleep when surging floodwaters crashed through their trailer home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a matter of seconds, their front door gave way, slammed open by the power of the river.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ryan and his fiancée, with water rising to their chests, placed their 13-month-old and six-year-old on the mattresses, which were floating, to keep them above the rising flood.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the water kept rising. The bedroom door, sealed tight by the pressure on the other side, wouldn't budge.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In those terrifying moments, Ryan shattered a window in a final attempt to get his family out. The glass tore into his arm, leaving him critically injured, his fiancée Christinia Wilson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/tax-return-2025-when-is-the-best-time-to-lodge-refund-explained/85b8c807-ea2a-4037-ac3a-c6dfdab2d381" target="_blank"><strong><span>When is the best time to lodge your tax return? Three experts reveal the 'sweet spot'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She added the glass almost cut his arm clean off.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After multiple calls to 911 went unanswered, Ryan looked at them, she said, and told them, "'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.'"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His sister, who lived just steps away from him and also lost her home, told CNN there was no warning and no time to act.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A flash flood emergency warning was issued for Kerr County at 4.03am about an hour before the raging Guadalupe River burst from its banks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The late-night warnings limited who could see them – and how quickly they could move to higher ground.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We had no time to physically save ourselves," Salas said. "Our last words were, 'I'm scared,'" she said. "And he says, 'Me too.'"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The family is overwhelmed with grief and struggling to cope, Salas says, especially their mother, who was there for Ryan's final moments and saw him take his last breath.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"While they were literally panicking and about to drown, my mother was still holding up her son and he looked at her and said, 'I love you,'" Salas said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span> "So my mum has that heartbreak of looking at her son and telling him goodbye, holding him while he takes his last breath."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Salas says the family feels like they're trapped in a nightmare they can't wake up from; a reality where Ryan will never walk through the door again "and be that funny person he is."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Camp Mystic campers</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At Camp Mystic, the massive flooding seemed to have ripped the wall off at least one building and left a cabin covered in dirt and mud, with girls' mattresses strewn across the floor, photos of the devastation show.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the camp was "horrendously ravaged." He was shocked, he said, that the rushing water reached the top of the cabins.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The families of at least four campers have confirmed their deaths to CNN, while others are still waiting for news on their children.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Twenty-seven kids are still missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls camp near the Guadalupe River that hosts about 750 kids.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Renee Smajstrla, the 8-year-old Camp Mystic camper who went missing during the torrential flooding in Kerr County, Texas, has died, her family confirmed to CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's truly devastating," Shawn Salta, Smajstrla's uncle, told CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Salta said his niece was recovered on Friday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The mother of missing Camp Mystic camper Janie Hunt, 9, told CNN in a message Saturday morning her daughter had "passed away."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the catastrophic flooding hit Kerr County in Texas Friday, Anne Hunt told CNN "we are just praying" for her return.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The families of Sarah Marsh and Lila Bonner, two girls who had gone missing from Camp Mystic Friday morning, confirmed to CNN both died.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a post on Facebook, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she was "heartbroken" over the loss of Sarah Marsh.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time," Britt said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time," the Bonner family said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>13-and 11-year-old sisters</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Blair and Brooke Harber, 13- and 11-year-old sisters, went missing during the flooding along with their grandparents.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Harbers' father confirmed to CNN Saturday his daughters had died.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"(Blair) was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart," RJ Harber said. "(Brooke) was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His parents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are still missing, but he believes the couple is also deceased.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Girls camp director</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jane Ragsdale was the "heart and soul" of Heart O' the Hills, according to the camp's website.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The co-owner and camp director, Ragsdale died during the floods. She had "influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," the camp said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The girls camp, set alongside the Guadalupe River, was not in session at the time of the flooding, and "most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground," according to an announcement from the camp.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A video last month shows Ragsdale playing the guitar and singing with campers. She sings the song </span><em><span>Let There Always Be A Song</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When you sing you say, life is good today," "So keep singing till we meet again."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>High school soccer coach and his wife</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The head coach of the Tivy High School's boys soccer team was "a mentor, teacher and a role model," the team said on Facebook.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They added they were mourning "the loss of our leader and inspiration."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Zunker died in this holiday weekend's flooding tragedy, his niece told CNN. Mackenzey Zunker said her father identified her uncle's body Saturday evening.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paula Zunker, Reece's wife, also died, according to the soccer team's statement and a post by Recce Zunker's cousin, Haley Furlough.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The couple's two children remain unaccounted for, Furlough wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>A loving grandmother</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dr. Katheryn Eads, another victim of the Texas floods, "lived a fulfilling life, cut far too short," her daughter Victoria Eads told CNN in a family statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She was an incredible wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and person who spent her life helping kids," the statement continued.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Eads assisted children in the foster care system in her early career and continued on as a psychologist and a college professor, her daughter told CNN.</span></div></div>