NEED TO KNOW
- A nurse, who worked at the Christian summer camp where multiple girls went missing amid the flash flooding that struck central Texas, shared footage of the young campers’ evacuation
- In videos shared on TikTok, a bus full of girls can be heard singing worship songs as they were driven to a reunification point to meet with their parents
- “I wish you could see ‘before’ shots to show how truly devastating it is,” the nurse wrote
A nurse, who worked at the Christian summer camp where multiple girls went missing amid the devastating flash flooding that struck central Texas, shared footage of the campers’ harrowing escape.
Camp nurse Devon Paige had been working at Camp Mystic — a 100-year-old camp that has served as a summer getaway for the likes of future first ladies and the daughters of presidents, per Politico — when the Guadalupe River began to surge amid historic flash flooding in the region on July 4.
In videos on TikTok, Paige detailed how many of Mystic’s hundreds of campers escaped on buses and in the back of law enforcement vehicles as their belongings and cabins were swept away by the flood.
“This is footage from my evacuation and everything I saw,” she captioned one video. “I wish you could see ‘before’ shots to show how truly devastating it is.”
One clip showed a large group of girls sitting still in the back of a bus as they were driven to a reunification point to meet up with their parents — and all of them were singing worship songs during the ride “to try and calm everyone,” Paige wrote.
Another harrowing clip posted on Paige’s account showed the nurse and several other adults’ reactions to the cars overturned by the flood and trees ripped from the ground, taken from the back of a law enforcement vehicle as they shouted, “Oh, my god!”
“Half the camp is on a hill,” she wrote in a comment underneath the post, detailing how many staff members and campers came up to the top of the hill seeking safety. “We had no idea the magnitude.”
Ten girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still unaccounted for, authorities said, per CNN.
Two families have also confirmed that they lost their daughters in the flood. Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck died after Camp Mystic was inundated by the rain-swollen floodwaters, Fox affiliate KDFW and NBC affiliate KXAS reported. Lila’s death was also confirmed to PEOPLE by her relatives.
In a statement to PEOPLE, shared on Saturday, July 5, Lila’s family said they were “heartbroken.”
“In the midst of our unimaginable grief, we ask for privacy and are unable to confirm any details at this time,” they added. “We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss.”
Additionally, the Kansas City Star and The New York Times reported on Sunday that 9-year-old Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs CEO and chairman Clark Hunt, was killed in the flooding. Clark’s wife, Tavia Hunt, shared a post on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of many lives — including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend’s little girls.”
Per the BBC, campers Sarah Marsh, a third grader, and 8-year-old Renee Smajstrla also died.
“Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on social media, according to the BBC.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday,” Salta added. “She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic.”
Additionally, Richard “Dick” Eastland, a father of four and the owner of the private Christian camp, is among those who have died, according to Texas Public Radio, The New York Times and other reports.
“[H]is last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,” a friend, Paige W. Sumner, wrote in a tribute to him in the local Kerrville Daily Times.
Dick and his wife, Tweety Eastland, had been with the camp since 1974 and were third-generation managers of the facility, which has been in their family since 1939, according to the Camp Mystic website.
Flooding in the Guadalupe River caused it to reach its second-highest height ever, ABC News reported. The area received at least 10 inches of rain, per San Antonio outlet KSAT.
Kerr County, which is approximately 50 miles northwest of San Antonio, has been hit especially hard by the floods. The city of Kerrville declared a state of emergency due to the floods, while Hunt (also in Kerr County) experienced more than six inches of rain in three hours on Friday, which is a “1-in-100-year event” in the region, according to CNN.
CNN reported that the flooded region experienced “more than an entire summer’s worth of rain” in a matter of hours.
“This may be a once-in-a-lifetime flood,” Clint Morris, a Kerr County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, told KSAT. He added that it was “an extremely active scene, countywide.”
The Associated Press reported that as of Sunday night, the death toll has risen to 79, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said there were 41 people still missing across the state.
To learn how to help support the victims and recovery efforts from the Texas floods, click here.
Read the full article here