Counselors at Camp Mystic have recalled the horrifying moment when they braced for the worst by writing campers' names on their bodies in case they needed to be identified after being swept away by the deadly floods.
Silvana Garza and Maria Paula recounted the gut-wrenching scene as they tried to keep the children calm while preparing to evacuate, even as floodwaters rose rapidly after a month’s worth of rain fell in just hours, sending the Guadalupe River surging 20 feet and turning the Texas Hill Country into a disaster zone.
“Us as counselors, we started to write our names on our skin, anywhere that was visible,” Paula told Mexican news outlet NMas in a Spanish-language interview, cited by the New York Post.
She continued: “We did the same for the girls, wrote their names anywhere that was easy to see.”
As tragic updates rolled in from the nearby riverside cabins where the youngest campers were housed, the pair were told to “put on a happy face” to avoid scaring the girls, even as they feared the worst.
“At the time, we started to prepare our girls because we thought we were also going to be evacuated,” Garza shared. “We told them to pack a bag, to pack their favorite stuffed animal. We didn’t know if we were going to be evacuated or not. We were just waiting.”
The catastrophic flooding, which struck around 4:00AM on Friday, July 4, has left more than 100 dead statewide, with at least 95 confirmed deaths in Kerr County alone as search and recovery missions continue for dozens still missing.
Heartbreaking photos have emerged from Camp Mystic showing thirteen young girls and two counselors in crisp white dresses and sneakers, smiling brightly for a cabin photo at the start of what was meant to be a week of cherished summer memories.
Less than five days later, every girl and counselor in that photograph was swept away by the floods as the river turned into a deadly current with nowhere to run.
The youngest campers, aged eight and nine, were housed in the “Bubble Inn” cabin, just 225 feet from the riverbank, while older campers were on higher ground at “Senior Hill.”
Tragically, ten of the girls were found dead, along with 18-year-old counselor Chloe Childress. Three girls and 19-year-old counselor Katherine Ferruzzo remain missing.
Among the dead at Camp Mystic was its beloved owner, Richard “Dick” Eastland, who died while trying to save the girls in the Bubble Inn cabin, according to his son.
The Washington Post reported that floodwaters from the Guadalupe and a nearby creek “rushed in from both sides, leaving no escape for anyone.” Eastland’s body was found along with the remains of three young girls inside a black SUV.
Counselor Chloe Childress died while desperately trying to save the girls she loved. “She upheld a ‘selfless and fierce commitment to others,’” Jonathan Eades, head of school at Kinkaid School in Houston where Chloe had just graduated, shared in a statement.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.