A heartbreaking picture captured an entire cabin of victims just before the floods
PARENTS who dropped off their little girls at the beloved Christian Camp Mystic in central Texas received a heartwrenching note just three days later, one devastated parent has revealed.
The nearly century-old summer camp was right in the path of the swelling Guadalupe River when deadly rains dumped on the region in the early hours of July 4.
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Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, outside San Antonio, was one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating July 4 floodsCredit: Getty
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Both counselors and every girl in the Bubble Inn cabin have been found dead or are missingCredit: Collect
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Buildings were left in shambles after the Guadalupe River swelled 30 feetCredit: Getty
So far in the days following the tragedy, 108 bodies have been pulled from the soggy wasteland, and dozens of people are still missing.
State legislators across the US are sending crews to help with the grim search, and local leaders have vowed not to stop the mission until every person is accounted for.
Some of the most tragic disappearances among the lost are young campers who were staying at the institution in Hunt, outside San Antonio.
Longtime camp owners Dick and Tweety Eastland welcomed about 750 girls just the same as the 98 years prior in the days leading up to the tragedy.
Christy Colby Heno, a chaperone who went to the camp for 12 years, remembers feeling the excitement in the air when she dropped off her own daughters on June 30.
What we know so far…
Torrential rain sparked deadly flash flooding around the Guadalupe River in Texas in the early morning of July 4
At least 109 people lost their lives, mostly in Kerr County, and rescue teams continue to search for missing people, but hope for survival is dimming
Families of some Camp Mystic girls have confirmed their deaths
A woman was rescued by clinging to a tree after being washed 20 miles downstream
Two brothers told of their brave escape from a flooded cabin
The victims include the niece of the Kansas City Chiefs’ owners, a dad who died while saving his wife and kids, a beloved high school coach, and sisters who were found dead with their hands locked together
Mourners gathered for a vigil Monday night to honor the victims
She said that she caught to catch up with the Eastlands as she ate turkey wraps, fruit salad, and tater tots alongside all of the buzzing girls.
“It was just like every other camp drop-off,” she told the Wall Street Journal.
But just days later, Heno was horrified to receive an eerie note from the camp after the storms passed through.
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“If your daughter is not accounted for you have been notified,” read part of the letter.
“If you have not been personally contacted then your daughter is accounted for.
“Please continue to pray.”
CAMP DEVASTATION
Heartwrenching pictures show the sheer devastation brought on by the rushing floods.
Cabins that were once filled with giggling campers have now been left in shambles, with bunk beds askew on the ground and belongings abandoned by girls.
Nearly every surface at the camp is covered in layers of dirt and grime after the Guadalupe River swelled a whopping 30 feet and rushed water through the property.
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Once-packed cabins are now abandoned and in shambles after the floodCredit: AFP
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The campers’ belongings are strewn across the propertyCredit: Getty
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Trunks were left in rows on the groundCredit: Reuters
The Bubble Inn cabin sat just 500 feet from the river, and every young girl and counselor inside has been found dead or is still missing.
The night of the storms, camp director Dick died trying to rush in and save the little girls.
Two of the victims staying in the cabin, 13 and 11-year-old sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, were found 15 miles downstream “with their hands locked together.”
“We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken,” their aunt Jennifer Harber said.
Eighty-seven bodies have been found in Kerr County alone, and Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department said the last “live rescue” in the county was made on Friday.
President Donald Trump and Melania are set to visit the area on Friday and meet with Texas Governor Gregg Abbott.
Donald Trump’s statement on Texas floods
“The Trump Administration is working with State and Local Officials on the ground in Texas in response to the tragic flooding that took place yesterday.
“Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly.
“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy.
“Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
