Two 8-year-old sisters from Dallas who had just completed 2nd grade. A beloved soccer coach and teacher. An Alabama elementary school student away from home. These are a few of the dozens of victims lost in devastating flash floods in central Texas.
The flooding originated from the of the Guadalupe River on Friday, killing more than 100 people. Authorities say search and rescue efforts are still underway, including for campers missing from a summer camp for girls.
Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence
Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence were 8-year-old sisters from Dallas who were among the victims killed by the flooding at Camp Mystic.
The girls had just finished second grade, their parents said.
鈥淗anna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others,鈥 John and Lacy Lawrence said in a statement. 鈥淲e will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them. But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time. 鈥
David Lawrence, the girls鈥 grandfather and former publisher of the Miami Herald, said 鈥渋t has been an unimaginable time for all of us." He said the girls gave their family, including their sister, joy.
鈥淭hey and that joy can never be forgotten,鈥 he said in a statement.
University Park Elementary School, where Hanna and Rebecca attended, said on its website that 鈥渘umerous鈥 students were in the Texas Hill Country during the flooding and had to evacuate. The school did not immediately respond to a message left Monday morning.
鈥淲e are deeply saddened to report the loss of multiple students, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families deeply affected by this unimaginable tragedy,鈥 the school said on its site.
Reece and Paula Zunker
Reece Zunker was described as 鈥渁 passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach鈥 by Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas.
鈥淗is unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten,鈥 the school posted online Sunday.
Paula Zunker was a former teacher at the school. 鈥淭he care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later,鈥 the post said.
The couple鈥檚 young children, Lyle and Holland, were still missing, the school said.
The family had been staying at a river house in Hunt.
Dick Eastland
Among the dead is Dick Eastland, the Camp Mystic director.
Paige Sumner, a former camper, described him in a in the local paper, The Kerrville Daily Times, as 鈥渢he father figure to all of us while we were away from home.鈥
Sumner spent one summer working in the camp office, balancing accounts for the commissary, where campers bought snacks and other essentials like stamps. She wrote that her desk was outside Eastland鈥檚 office.
鈥淗e still put campers first in every situation,鈥 wrote Sumner, who is now the head of philanthropy at a community center in Kerrville. 鈥淚f an issue of any kind that needed attention came over the walkie-talkie, even a camper with a minor injury or the dreaded snake in the river, he would bolt out of the office and jump in a golf cart to get there as fast as he could.鈥
Eastland鈥檚 grandson, George Eastland, wrote in an Instagram that his grandfather showed him what a strong Christian man looks like.
鈥淚f he wasn鈥檛 going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,鈥 he wrote.
In her column, Sumner noted that the camp had plans for rain.
鈥淯sually,鈥 she explained, 鈥渋t means they deliver a special breakfast of sweet rolls to each cabin or singing songs in the Rec Hall. This level of flooding was unprecedented.鈥
In a brief telephone call as she grappled with the flood's aftermath at her own office, Sumner was reluctant to add more than she wrote in the column, saying the camp wanted privacy for the families.
鈥淲e are still holding out hope,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey are broken; they are in shock.鈥
Chloe Childress
Chloe Childress was among the counselors at Camp Mystic who died in the devasting floods. Childress, 19, 鈥渓ived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith,鈥 her family said in a statement.
鈥淩eturning as a counselor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic,鈥 her family said.
Childress had just graduated from the Kinkaid School in Houston, which praised her as deeply invested in her community.
鈥淐hloe had a remarkable way of making people feel seen. She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room,鈥 Jonathan Eads, the head of the school, said in a letter to the school's community on Sunday. 鈥淲hether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone鈥檚 burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave.鈥
Janie Hunt
Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, was just 9 years old.
Her mother, Anne Hunt, confirmed her death to , while her grandmother Margaret Hunt confirmed it to
The Chiefs franchise declined to comment. But Clark Hunt鈥檚 wife, Tavia Hunt, posted on and urged people to rely on their faith.
鈥淚f your heart is broken, I assure you God is near,鈥 Tavia Hunt, wrote in the post. 鈥淗e is gentle with your wounds. And He is still worthy 鈥 even when your soul is struggling to believe it.
Tanya Burwick
The last time Tanya Burwick's family heard from her was a frantic phone call about the floodwaters as she headed to work at a Walmart early Friday in the San Angelo area. When Burwick didn't show up for work, her employer filed a missing persons report and sent a colleague to look for her.
Police investigating the 62-year-old's disappearance found Burwick's unoccupied SUV fully submerged later that day. Her body was found the next morning blocks from the vehicle.
鈥淪he lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh,鈥 said Lindsey Burwick, who added that her mom was a beloved parent, grandparent and colleague to many.
She and her brother Zac said the day was especially difficult because it happened on July Fourth as they were working at a fireworks stand that's been in the family for generations. As word of Tanya Burwick's disappearance spread, people from from Blackwell, a small community of about 250 people, showed up to the stand that's run out of a trailer painted orange.
鈥淧eople came to our aid,鈥 Lindsey Burwick said.
Police in San Angelo said more than 12,000 houses, barns and other buildings have been affected by the floods in the community of roughly 100,000 people.
鈥淲e ask that the public continue to keep the Burwick family in their thoughts and prayers as they navigate this heartbreaking tragedy," the San Angelo Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Jane Ragsdale
Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O鈥檛he Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country. She was a camper and counselor there herself in the 1970s before becoming a co-owner. By the 1980s, she was director of the camp in Hunt.
鈥淪he was the heart of The Heart,鈥 the camp said in a statement. 鈥淪he was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important.鈥
Since the camp was between sessions, no children were staying there when the floodwaters rose. The camp鈥檚 facilities, directly in the path of the flood, were extensively damaged and access to the site remained difficult, according to camp officials. The camp has been in existence since the 1950s.
Camp officials said Ragsdale would be remembered for her strength and wisdom.
鈥淲e are heartbroken. But above all, we are grateful,鈥 the camp said. 鈥淕rateful to have known her, to have learned from her, and to carry her light forward.鈥
In a 2015 oral history for the Kerr County Historical Commission, Ragsdale, whose first name was Cynthie, but went by her middle name Jane, talked about how her father was also a camp director and how much she enjoyed her experiences.
鈥淚 loved every minute of camp from the first time I stepped foot in one,鈥 she recalled.
Videos of Ragsdale strumming a guitar and singing to campers during a recent session were posted in a memorial on the camp鈥檚 Facebook page: 鈥淟ife is good today. So keep singing 鈥檛il we meet, again.鈥
Sarah Marsh
Eight-year-old Sarah Marsh from Alabama had been attending , a longtime Christian girls camp in Hunt where several others were killed in the floods. As of Sunday, afternoon, 11 children were still missing.
Marsh was a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in suburban Birmingham.
鈥淭his is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community,鈥 Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said in a Facebook post. 鈥淪arah鈥檚 passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her.鈥
He said the community 鈥 where about 20,000 people reside 鈥 would rally behind the Marsh family as they grieved.
Her parents declined an interview request Sunday 鈥渁s they mourn this unbearable loss,鈥 the girl鈥檚 grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, told The Associated Press in an email.
鈥淲e will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!鈥 Marsh wrote on Facebook. 鈥淲e love you so much, sweet Sarah!鈥
She declined further comment.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama also noted the girl鈥檚 tragic death.
鈥淲e continue to pray for the victims鈥 loved ones, the survivors, those who are still missing, and our brave first responders as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas,鈥 she said in a post on social media platform X.
Blair and Brooke Harber
Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, had been staying alongside the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, according to the school.
Pastor Joshua J. Whitfield of St. Rita Catholic Community, which shares a campus with the school, said the girls' parents, Annie and RJ Harber, were staying in a different cabin and were safe. However, their grandparents were unaccounted for. Annie Harber has been a longtime teacher at the school.
鈥淭his tragedy has touched every corner of our hearts,鈥 the church said in a statement Sunday.
Blair, who was enrolled in advanced classes, was involved in numerous school activities from volleyball and basketball to speech and drama. Brooke was a rising sixth grader and a student athlete in volleyball and lacrosse, among other sports. She also participated in speech and drama, according to the church.
Both were remembered for their kind hearts and warm personalities.
鈥淲e will honor Blair and Brooke鈥檚 lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them,鈥 Whitfield wrote in a Saturday letter to parishioners. 鈥淎nd we will surround Annie, RJ, and their extended family with the strength and support of our St. Rita community.鈥
The church held a special prayer service Saturday afternoon and offered counseling.
鈥淧lease keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief,鈥 Whitfield wrote. 鈥淢ay our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead.鈥
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DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Arkansas; Hollingsworth from Mission, Kansas; McCormack from Concord, New Hampshire; Tareen from Chicago; and Sarah Raza contributed to this report from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
