The rain lightly fell as people in vintage cars and flatbed trailers began to line up for the always anticipated Park Cities Fourth of July. The rain let up, and the parade started.
In another part of the state, the sun was rising on a horrific scene. The Kerr County area, which includes Hunt, Ingram, and Kerrville, Texas, had been hit with a catastrophic flood from the Guadalupe River. Rain began to fall there around 3 am, and within an hour, the water was said to have risen 25 feet in 45 minutes. Summer camps along the Guadalupe were hustling to evacuate campers to higher ground. Never in 100 years of Camp Mystic’s history had the river ever spread to and into the cabins at this level. Under the darkness of the night and with no electricity, campers were shuttled to higher ground. According to reports the youngest campers were being loading into a suburban to be driven to higher ground, the car with campers and the camp Director, Dick Eastland, was washed into the moving water.
In another cabin, a counselor was sending girls through a window to grab onto a tree. Many did, hanging there for hours until the river receded and they were rescued. As we know now, many did not survive this sudden surge of unprecedented water. Sadly, we are all grieving for the loss of 6 local girls, all reported to be 8 years old and going into third grade, at Hyer, Bradfield, and University Park Elementary schools.
For their families’ privacy, I won’t list names here at this time. As a community, we can come together and support these families as they navigate through this unimaginable time. Ribbons are being wrapped around trees to honor not only those who did not survive but also those who did and are also dealing with their own experience.
Many of the summer camps were between sessions; however, La Junta was also in the direct line of the flood and full of campers. The stories of heroism are amazing. Counselors saving countless lives as they treaded water, hoisting younger boys up to hold on to rafters in the cabin.
Experts say that everyone deals with grief differently and in their own way and at their own pace. The Park Cities is a tight-knit community; these losses are affecting everyone across different generations. For those who have grown up in the Park Cities, raised their family, and watched their children raise their children here, it is almost a guarantee that you know someone who was affected by the Kerr County flood. Generations of Park Cities kids have attended camps in the Hill Country each with their own wonderful memories. It’s it time for the Park Cities to do what it does best and wrap each other up in love and support as everyone works through their own emotions to this tragedy.
