Texas Floods Leave 23 Girls Missing From Camp/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ At least 23 girls remain missing after catastrophic floods swept through Texas Hill Country, devastating Camp Mystic. Families desperately seek news as rescuers continue searches amid destroyed cabins and rising casualties. The disaster recalls past tragedies in the flood-prone region.
Texas Camp Flooding Quick Looks
- Flash floods devastate Camp Mystic, leaving 23 girls missing.
- Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in under an hour.
- Rescue operations ongoing; over 237 people saved so far.
- Parents share photos online, pleading for information.
- Memories of 1987 Texas camp flood tragedy resurface.
- Camp Mystic cabins washed away, leaving devastation and heartbreak.
Deep Look
Texas Families Plead for News as Floods Leave 23 Girls Missing From Camp Mystic
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — A wave of panic and heartbreak has swept through Texas Hill Country after catastrophic floods washed through the region overnight, leaving at least 23 girls from an all-girls summer camp missing and dozens of families desperate for answers.
Parents took to social media early Friday, sharing photos of their daughters and pleading for any information on their whereabouts following the devastation at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Hunt, Texas.
The flooding disaster comes amid record rainfall that poured nearly a foot of water into the area, turning rivers into torrents and leaving at least 24 people dead across south-central Texas. The Guadalupe River surged to 26 feet in under 45 minutes, submerging flood gauges and overwhelming communities.
“I’m asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. “On-your-knees kind of praying that we find these young girls.”
Harrowing Rescues at Camp Mystic
Rescue efforts ramped up as Texas Game Wardens reached Camp Mystic on Friday afternoon, evacuating campers stranded on higher ground.
Elinor Lester, 13, was among those rescued. She described being jolted awake around 1:30 a.m. as thunder rattled her cabin windows. Camp Mystic, founded in 1926, is split into lower riverfront cabins for younger campers and higher cabins on “Senior Hill” for older girls. The lower cabins were swiftly consumed by rising floodwaters, forcing girls to flee uphill.
Lester recounted how, after a terrifying night without food, power, or running water, rescuers arrived and secured a rope line across a bridge, helping girls wade through water swirling around their knees.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” she said. “It was really scary. Everyone I know personally is accounted for, but there are people missing that I know of and we don’t know where they are.”
Families Overcome With Emotion
Elizabeth Lester wept as she reunited with her daughter, who clutched a teddy bear and a book. Meanwhile, she shared news that her son, attending nearby Camp La Junta, also narrowly escaped as a counselor there led boys out through rising floodwaters.
“My kids are safe, but knowing others are still missing is just eating me alive,” Elizabeth said.
The anxiety is widespread among families. Dozens shared updates in local Facebook groups, revealing they’d received calls from safety officials confirming their daughters remained unaccounted for amid the chaos of washed-away cabins and fallen trees.
Camp Mystic sought to reassure parents via email, informing them that if they hadn’t been contacted directly, their child was safe.
Emotional Scenes at Reunification Centers
At an elementary school in nearby Ingram used as a reunification hub, more than a hundred people gathered Friday, anxiously awaiting the arrival of buses carrying rescued campers. One young girl, drenched and shaking, sobbed in her mother’s arms, her Camp Mystic T-shirt soaked as she stood in a puddle.
Many families are still holding out hope that loved ones missing from various campgrounds and mobile home parks in the region will soon be found.
Flood History Haunts Texas Hill Country
The region’s terrain, known as “flash flood alley,” makes it highly vulnerable to sudden surges of water.
“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” explained Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which is raising funds for flood relief. “It rushes down the hill.”
The National Weather Service initially forecast 3 to 6 inches of rain, but some areas received 10 inches or more. The resulting flooding evokes haunting memories of the 1987 tragedy when floodwaters claimed the lives of 10 campers from Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp after their evacuation bus was overtaken by water near Comfort, Texas.
Camp Mystic Transformed From Joy To Tragedy
Chloe Crane, a teacher and former Camp Mystic counselor, said she broke down in tears upon hearing news of the devastation.
“To be quite honest, I cried because Mystic is such a special place, and I just couldn’t imagine the terror that I would feel as a counselor to experience that for myself and for 15 little girls that I’m taking care of,” she said.
For nearly a century, Camp Mystic has been a sanctuary where young girls learn independence, build friendships, and create lifelong memories. Now, its riverfront cabins lie in ruins, and what was once a cherished summer escape has become a site of unimaginable sorrow.
As the search continues and the waters recede, families across Texas—and far beyond—wait, pray, and hope for news of the missing girls.
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