<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mollie Sylvester Schaffer had been married to her husband, Randy, for 57 years when the Houston couple travelled to an annual get-together with friends on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/texas" rel="" target="" title="Texas"><span>Texas</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She was killed in the catastrophic flash floods that so far have claimed the lives of 120 people.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They include a budding eight-year-old actress and twin sisters from Dallas.</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/world/trump-tours-texas-flood-sites-and-defends-officials-amid-mounting-questions-about-response/7659dd19-e326-4f50-aa8a-14fb4cbf423b"><strong><span>Trump calls reporter 'evil' during visit to Texas town devastated by flood</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The flooding originated from the fast-moving waters of the Guadalupe River on the Fourth of July.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Authorities say search and rescue efforts are still underway, including for campers missing from a summer camp for girls.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Malaya Grace Hammond</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/usa-texas-floods-teen-who-helped-family-escape-among-those-killed/6b9cf7b7-54a2-4451-a4c5-9cbece36ac3c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Malaya Grace Hammond, 17, of Marble Falls, was in a van with her family on their way to a Christian summer camp on Saturday. It was dark and raining, and they were unable to see that a bridge had washed out in Travis County.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hammond was able to open a door, allowing the family to escape, but she was swept away by floodwaters, family friends said. She was found on Monday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An avid lover of the arts, she expressed her creativity through painting, dancing and singing, according to her obituary.</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/world/texas-floods-victims-faces-of-the-devastating-tragedy/9795e553-a367-4d8e-a1de-6d83f48c8c4a"><strong><span>The young faces of unthinkable tragedy</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Her ability to harmonise, I think matched her ability to harmonise with others," her father, Matthew Hammond, said in a video posted on Thursday on Facebook. "She felt that harmony was our natural state."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Bailey Martin</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Odessa Police Officer Bailey Martin was killed in the July 4 Texas floods near Kerrville.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was on a family trip to the Guadalupe River, the police department said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bailey's father, Bobby, and stepmother Amanda were also killed in the flood, according a release from the city of Odessa.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His girlfriend, Jayda Floyd, has been missing since the morning of July 5.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Martin was a native of Odessa who hoped to become a detective, according to a post on the department's Facebook's page profiling recruits.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I wanted to join because the world we live in is always changing and I wanted to do everything I can to be part of my community as it grows, allowing me to preserve the peace and safety," Martin said in the post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His body was escorted back to Odessa by a procession of police and other emergency vehicles on Wednesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The department asked residents to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs for the rest of the week in honour of Martin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Mollie Sylvester Schaffer</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mollie Sylvester Schaffer, 76, of Houston, and her husband were at an annual reunion with best friends at the River Inn, on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The couple, married for 57 years, evacuated early July Fourth in her SUV. She attempted to drive up a hill.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But as the water rose, the vehicle started floating and the doors wouldn't open, her husband, Randy Schaffer, posted on Monday on Facebook.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Mollie lowered the front windows and said to dive out feet first. I tried, but my seat was low, the window was high, and I fell back into the seat. The last words she ever spoke were, 'You have to push harder,'" he wrote.</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/sydney-woollahra-new-station-eastern-suburbs/f74a6286-1a3a-489c-a9dc-42b38696dea7"><strong><span>Old Sydney train station could be finished and reopened in new housing plan</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I pushed as hard as I could and went out the window."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Randy Schaffer said he was able to wrap his arms around a pole and climb up until his head was above water. He looked for his wife, but she had been swept into the river.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her body was recovered on Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She wouldn't leave the car until she was sure that I had done so. She saved my life. It wasn't my day to die. I wish that it hadn't been hers," he wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Renee Smajstrla</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Renee Smajstrla, a eight-year-old straight-A student from Ingram, Texas, who had played a role in her school's production of </span><em><span>The Wizard of Oz</span></em><span>, was one of the victims who died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, her family said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Renee had just completed second grade and aspired to play the lead role in an upcoming camp production, according to a funeral home obituary.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At school, she played The Lullaby League munchkin in </span><em><span>The Wizard of Oz</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Renee was a great classmate, friend and teammate," the obituary said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Being an athlete but a cheerleader at heart, Renee often found herself rooting for both teams."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her uncle posted a photo on Facebook of Renee smiling at camp the day before the July 4 floods.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," he wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Sally Graves</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sally Sample Graves, 91, was killed in the Texas flood when her home was swept away by the rampaging waters, her family said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Graves was with her son and his dog, granddaughter Sarah Sample said in an Instagram post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A powerful 30 ft wave destroyed her home, sweeping her and our dad downstream," Sample wrote. Graves' son and his dog survived.</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-sydney-airport-plane-hits-airbridge-delay/4177751d-4500-40de-9dfb-2fe2e9cf8ecd"><strong><span>Passengers delayed 21 hours after aerobridge hits Qantas plane at Sydney Airport</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We find solace knowing our dad was with her until the very end; caring for her as he has for years," Sample added in her post. "Her unwavering dedication to family has left an indelible mark on our lives."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Graves spent her life performing "innumerable, quiet acts of service," according to a funeral home obituary.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Sally was known for her sharp intellect, quick wit, and gracious spirit," the obituary read. "A consummate host, she had a special way of making others feel welcome and cared for, creating a beautiful home filled with laughter and hospitality."</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/world/usa-plague-northern-arizona-resident-dies-from-plague/0105f663-5b94-48ac-8ae9-28a9df9a0090"><strong><span>Person dies from the plague in America</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Mary Kate Jacobe</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mary Kate Jacobe, an eight-year-old from Houston described by her family as "tiny but mighty," was a camper at Camp Mystic killed in the July 4 flooding.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jacobe's family described the girl as having a "smile that melted your heart."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Mary Kate, our Sissy, was the baby of our large family and was most certainly our angel on Earth," her family said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are utterly shattered and forever changed by the loss of our girl."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Joyce Catherine Badon, Ella Cahill and Reese Manchaca</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Joyce Catherine Badon, Ella Cahill and Reese Manchaca had been friends since high school. The three gathered for the July Fourth holiday with Cahill's boyfriend at a home in Hunt, along the Guadalupe River.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All three young women were killed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"At 4am this morning, a flash flood came through and washed their cars away," Badon's mother, Kellye Badon, posted on Facebook on July 4. "It happened so quickly with so much water, they could not get in the attic."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She said Cahill's boyfriend, who remains missing, called his dad as it was happening, then got washed away with Cahill and Manchaca.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kellye Badon said her daughter was the last person heard from on that call before the phone went dead.</span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/07/11/09/13/today-in-history-july-12-what-happened-on-this-day"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/HZGWmAXiKE_us7LMn9-lru4PyDI=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F4d94f7f9-7e1e-4092-bc4c-e7026c27d22b" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/HZGWmAXiKE_us7LMn9-lru4PyDI=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F4d94f7f9-7e1e-4092-bc4c-e7026c27d22b 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/wRzSp41KiHYUgs4zU-Xfs97oO0U=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F4d94f7f9-7e1e-4092-bc4c-e7026c27d22b 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Triplets separated at birth unwittingly part of psychiatric experiment</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/07/11/09/13/today-in-history-july-12-what-happened-on-this-day">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Badon, 21, of Beaumont, was a senior architecture student at the Savannah College of Art and Design.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A beloved daughter, friend, and classmate, Joyce was passionate about using her artistry and talent to impact the world, and had recently helped redesign donation centers for Goodwill," the school said in an email.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Manchaca was a recent graduate of Caney Creek High School in Conroe.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Conroe Independent School District, where her mother is a long time employee, was offering "Forever in our Hearts" T-shirts featuring images of Texas and angel's wings, with proceeds going to the family.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cahill's sister, Mackenzie Hodulik, asked people to keep her sister's memory in their hearts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's not fair," Hodulik posted on Facebook on Tuesday. "She needed more time. We all needed more time with her. I'm mad, sad, but at peace knowing she isn't suffering anymore. There are no words for this kind of pain."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Mary Grace Baker</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mary Grace Baker, who had recently celebrated her first Holy Communion, was among the victims at Camp Mystic from the flash foods, her school announced.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Mary Grace was a bright light in our close-knit school family, known for her kindness and friendship to all, her joyful spirit and her love for her faith and family," St. Anne Catholic School in Beaumont said on its Facebook page.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Her giggle was contagious, as was her spirit."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mary Grace had just completed second grade. The school's post described her as a "girls' girl who loved pink sparkles and bows in her signature angelic ringlet curls."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The school asked its community to place pink ribbons in trees in honour of Mary Grace after she went missing following the floods.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Julian Ryan</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Father and fiance Julian Ryan of Ingram, Texas, lost his life while saving his family during the flooding and helping them escape.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an interview with KHOU, his fiancée Christina Wilson said that the 27-year-old severed an artery in his arm when he broke a window get her, their children and his mother to the roof.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He looked at me and the kids and my mother-in-law and he was like, 'Sorry, I'm not gonna make it. I love y'all," Wilson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Julian jumped into action to protect and save his family and get them to safety. Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero," Joseph Rounsley and Jennifer Mercer wrote on a GoFundMe for Ryan's family.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>James and Cindy Rushing</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>James and Cindy Rushing were camping along the Guadalupe River at the HTR TX Hill Country Campground on the Fourth of July when the flooding struck.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The amount of grief my family is feeling is immeasurable," their son, James Evan Rushing, wrote in a social media post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"My parents have been found, and they are unfortunately gone. My heart is broken into pieces."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the flooding, their daughter, Tamra Blasius, visited their campsite and found nothing left.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Everything gone — their camper, their truck, their belongings — completely washed away. There was no sign that anyone had ever been there. It was absolutely gut-wrenching," she wrote in a social media post on Saturday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Monday, she wrote that her "worst fears were confirmed — my parents were found and identified, but tragically, they did not survive."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were among the victims killed by the flooding at Camp Mystic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The girls had just finished second grade, their parents said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others," John and Lacy Lawrence said in a statement. "We will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time. "</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>David Lawrence, the girls' grandfather and former publisher of the </span><em><span>Miami Herald</span></em><span>, said "it has been an unimaginable time for all of us." He said the girls gave their family, including their sister, joy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They and that joy can never be forgotten," he said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>University Park Elementary School, where Hanna and Rebecca attended, said on its website that "numerous" students were in the Texas Hill Country during the flooding and had to evacuate.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The school did not immediately respond to a message left on Monday morning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are deeply saddened to report the loss of multiple students, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families deeply affected by this unimaginable tragedy," the school said on its site.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Reece and Paula Zunker</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Reece Zunker was described as "a passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach" by Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten," the school posted online on Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paula Zunker was a former teacher at the school. "The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later," the post said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The couple's young children, Lyle and Holland, were still missing, the school said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The family had been staying at a river house in Hunt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Dick Eastland</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Among the dead is Dick Eastland, the Camp Mystic director.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paige Sumner, a former camper, described him in a column in the local paper, </span><em><span>The Kerrville Daily Times</span></em><span>, as "the father figure to all of us while we were away from home."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sumner spent one summer working in the camp office, balancing accounts for the commissary, where campers bought snacks and other essentials like stamps.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She wrote that her desk was outside Eastland's office.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He still put campers first in every situation," wrote Sumner, who is now the head of philanthropy at a community center in Kerrville.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If an issue of any kind that needed attention came over the walkie-talkie, even a camper with a minor injury or the dreaded snake in the river, he would bolt out of the office and jump in a golf cart to get there as fast as he could."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Eastland's grandson, George Eastland, wrote in an Instagram post that his grandfather showed him what a strong Christian man looks like.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for," he wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In her column, Sumner noted that the camp had plans for rain.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Usually," she explained, "it means they deliver a special breakfast of sweet rolls to each cabin or singing songs in the Rec Hall. This level of flooding was unprecedented."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a brief telephone call as she grappled with the flood's aftermath at her own office, Sumner was reluctant to add more than she wrote in the column, saying the camp wanted privacy for the families.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are still holding out hope," she said. "They are broken; they are in shock."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Chloe Childress</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Chloe Childress was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic who died in the devastating floods.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Childress, 19, "lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith," her family said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Returning as a counsellor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic," her family said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Childress had just graduated from the Kinkaid School in Houston, which praised her as deeply invested in her community.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Chloe had a remarkable way of making people feel seen. She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room," Jonathan Eads, the head of the school, said in a letter to the school's community on Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Whether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone's burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Janie Hunt</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, was just nine years old.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her mother, Anne Hunt, confirmed her death to CNN, while her grandmother Margaret Hunt confirmed it to </span><em><span>The Kansas City Star</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Chiefs franchise declined to comment. But Clark Hunt's wife, Tavia Hunt, posted on Instagram and urged people to rely on their faith.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If your heart is broken, I assure you God is near," Tavia Hunt, wrote in the post. "He is gentle with your wounds. And He is still worthy — even when your soul is struggling to believe it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Tanya Burwick</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The last time Tanya Burwick's family heard from her was a frantic phone call about the floodwaters as she headed to work at a Walmart early on Friday in the San Angelo area.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When Burwick didn't show up for work, her employer filed a missing persons report and sent a colleague to look for her.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police investigating the 62-year-old's disappearance found Burwick's unoccupied SUV fully submerged later that day.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her body was found the next morning blocks from the vehicle.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh," said Lindsey Burwick, who added that her mom was a beloved parent, grandparent and colleague to many.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She and her brother Zac said the day was especially difficult because it happened on July Fourth as they were working at a fireworks stand that's been in the family for generations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As word of Tanya Burwick's disappearance spread, people from Blackwell, a small community of about 250 people, showed up to the stand that's run out of a trailer painted orange.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People came to our aid," Lindsey Burwick said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police in San Angelo said more than 12,000 houses, barns and other buildings have been affected by the floods in the community of roughly 100,000 people.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We ask that the public continue to keep the Burwick family in their thoughts and prayers as they navigate this heartbreaking tragedy," the San Angelo Police Department said in a Facebook post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Jane Ragsdale</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O'the Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She was a camper and counsellor there herself in the 1970s before becoming a co-owner. By the 1980s, she was director of the camp in Hunt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She was the heart of The Heart," the camp said in a statement.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Since the camp was between sessions, no children were staying there when the floodwaters rose.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The camp's facilities, directly in the path of the flood, were extensively damaged and access to the site remained difficult, according to camp officials. The camp has been in existence since the 1950s.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Camp officials said Ragsdale would be remembered for her strength and wisdom.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We are heartbroken. But above all, we are grateful," the camp said. "Grateful to have known her, to have learned from her, and to carry her light forward."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a 2015 oral history for the Kerr County Historical Commission, Ragsdale, whose first name was Cynthie, but went by her middle name Jane, talked about how her father was also a camp director and how much she enjoyed her experiences.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I loved every minute of camp from the first time I stepped foot in one," she recalled.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Videos of Ragsdale strumming a guitar and singing to campers during a recent session were posted in a memorial on the camp's Facebook page: "Life is good today. So keep singing 'til we meet, again."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Sarah Marsh</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Eight-year-old Sarah Marsh from Alabama had been attending Camp Mystic in Texas, a longtime Christian girls camp in Hunt where several others were killed in the floods.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Marsh was a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in suburban Birmingham.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community," Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said in a Facebook post.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said the community — where about 20,000 people reside — would rally behind the Marsh family as they grieved.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her parents declined an interview request on Sunday "as they mourn this unbearable loss," the girl's grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, told The Associated Press in an email.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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!" Marsh wrote on Facebook. "We love you so much, sweet Sarah!"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She declined further comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama also noted the girl's tragic death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We continue to pray for the victims' loved ones, the survivors, those who are still missing, and our brave first responders as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas," she said in a post on social media platform X.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Blair and Brooke Harber</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, had been staying alongside the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, according to the school.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Pastor Joshua J. Whitfield of St. Rita Catholic Community, which shares a campus with the school, said the girls' parents, Annie and RJ Harber, were staying in a different cabin and were safe.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, their grandparents were unaccounted for.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Annie Harber has been a long time teacher at the school.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This tragedy has touched every corner of our hearts," the church said in a statement on Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Blair, who was enrolled in advanced classes, was involved in numerous school activities from volleyball and basketball to speech and drama.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Brooke was a rising sixth grader and a student athlete in volleyball and lacrosse, among other sports. She also participated in speech and drama, according to the church.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both were remembered for their kind hearts and warm personalities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them," Whitfield wrote in a Saturday letter to parishioners. "And we will surround Annie, RJ, and their extended family with the strength and support of our St. Rita community."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The church held a special prayer service on Saturday afternoon and offered counselling.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief," Whitfield wrote. "May our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead."</span></div></div>