A family has shared their heartbreak after they confirmed the discovery of their daughter's body who fell victim to the Texas floods.
Joyce Catherine Badon, 21, was found following catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River, where she had been staying with college friends over the Fourth of July weekend.
Joyce was trapped inside a house along the river as torrential rain unleashed devastating floods on Friday, according to Agence France-Presse.
The house, where she was staying with her group of friends, reportedly collapsed around 4:00AM.
“On her cellphone, the last message [her family] got was ‘we're being washed away’ and the phone went dead,” Louis Deppe, who led a volunteer search team, told AFP.
On Monday, July 7, Joyce’s father, Ty Badon, confirmed to NBC News that his daughter’s body had been found. Her mother, Kellye Badon, shared a message of heartbreak and faith on Facebook.
“God showed us the way we should go this morning!” Kellye wrote. “We found our lovely daughter who blessed us for 21 years! We pray to be able to find her three friends soon. Thanks to EVERYONE for the prayers and support. God is good!”
Joyce’s father previously told CNN that the group had been staying at a house owned by one of the friend’s fathers when the floodwaters suddenly overwhelmed the area.
“Aidan said, ‘Hey I've got to go, I've got to help Ella and Reese ... they just got washed away,’ and then a few seconds later the phone just went dead, and that's all we know,” Ty explained.
Still missing are Joyce’s friends Ella Cahill, Aidan Heartfield, and Reese Manchaca, according to the Beaumont Enterprise and 12 News Now.
The desperate search for the missing students has united families, friends, and even strangers who have joined forces in the rescue effort.
Tina Hambly, the 55-year-old mother of Joyce's best friend and roommate, was among those searching, using a kayak oar to comb through debris along the river.
“We're doing a seven-mile stretch, and there's seven teams and we're doing a mile apiece,” Hambly told AFP. “So just kind of dividing and conquering, trying to find any four of them or anyone.”
She added: “But, you know, we are friends and families and frankly, some strangers have shown up.”
Tragically, the death toll has risen past 100, with at least 84 of those from Kerr County alone, as reported by BBC News.
Camp Mystic, an all girls summer camp, had 750 campers at the site before the flood water emerged.
At least 27 people have died at the camp, with 10 children an one counsellor still missing.
Experts say several factors combined to create the tragedy in Texas over the weekend, including extreme weather, the location of the holiday homes, and the timing of the storms.
A large supply of moisture in the atmosphere, pulled in by a tropical storm that had caused flooding in Mexico before drifting north as it weakened, set the stage for disaster.
Kerr County is hillier than the surrounding counties, which forced the moisture-heavy air to rise and build massive storm clouds.
The system moved slowly, dumping heavy rainfall that fueled additional thunderstorms along the Guadalupe River, which rose with unprecedented speed and power, sweeping away everything in its path.
With heavy rain still forecast for the area, officials are warning people to stay vigilant and on high alert.
Our thoughts continue to go out to every person impacted by this tragedy.