It was around 1am on July 4th that the facility manager at a central summer camp in Texas saw water steadily rising from the Guadalupe River amid a major rainy flood.
Arold Barrera notified his boss who was monitoring a report of a storm approaching Presbyterian Moulen Assembly, a recreational destination where the Intercultural Youth Conference was cancelled a few hours ago.
Despite no warnings from local governments, camp officials acted quickly on their own, moving around about 70 children and adults staying overnight in a building near the river. Along with child safety, camp leaders, including the president and CEO, were able to avoid the catastrophe that struck at least one other camp near the Hunt, which has a 500-acre MO lunch.
“They helped them pack their bags,” Lisa Winters, Mo-Ranch’s communications director, told the Associated Press on Sunday. “They got them, they took them out and put them up in the highlands.”
Other places have gotten much worse.
Flash floods that roared through Texas Hill Country before dawn on Friday destroyed the scenery near the river, killing at least 78 people, and many others were not explained. As of Sunday, 10 girls from nearby Camp Mystic remained missing, officials said. The rescue and recovery teams combed the area for them and others for the days after the flood.
The decision to leave says that local camps and residents are left to make their own decisions if there is no warning or notification from the county.
Local governments faced tough scrutiny and sometimes asked how much warning they had, saying that reviews would come later, or how much they could provide to the public. For now, they say they are focusing on rescue. Officials say they don’t expect such a heavy downpour.
Mo-Ranch did not suffer any loss of life, Winters added that the camp had not received direct information from county officials about the flood.
“There was no warning when this came,” Winters said, adding that it would be “devastating” if camp officials hadn’t seen the weather forecast or rising river water.
“We saw it worked out in advance and they did something about it,” she said.
Around 7am on Friday, camp staff began contacting the children’s parents and informed them that the children were safe.
“They knew those parents would wake up and all the media footage from this media was lost or just to see the river,” Winters said. “They told your parents you were fine” … We made sure that all the guests, each child, were explained. ”
The camps are located higher in the area than parts of the area and suffered some damage, but were not as important as the others.
“The buildings don’t matter,” she said. “I can’t imagine losing children and people.”
She said the sturdy aluminum kayak was wrapped in wood “like a pretzel.”
“It just shows you the pure power of water. I don’t know how people can survive. We are blessed,” she said.
The camp remained closed on Sunday, with Mo-Ranch working on ways to support other camps affected by the flood.
“We’re in a difficult place because other people are really struggling,” said Winters, who got emotional during the interview. “We are camp sisters. We take care of each other.”
Click here to learn how to support disaster relief efforts and donate to the American Red Cross.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton showed how tropical storms leave destruction after landfall hundreds of miles. Climate change is amplifying the potential for hurricane flooding. Meteorologist Chase Cain emphasizes the importance of preparing now, even if you don’t live on the coast.
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