My niece sent me this, her friend is a counselor in Bubble Inn and is still missing. If I need to delete, please let me know.

Some more clarity on what happened at Mystic

What we know from a flat perspective is that the flooding started to hit but it was the middle of the night. Dick was coming down with Edward in cars trying to get campers to a safer spot either the new camp or somewhere else. He was driving back-and-forth and back-and-forth and two cabins made it to sky high and the rest of the camp made it to the new camp. The campers not accounted for were bubble inn and the twins cabins. Dick was driving to bubble in to get the girls and was loading them in his truck when the truck got swept away. Libby Liuzzi was in a twins cabin and they couldn't open the door and so she smashed the windows and we're sending her girls out to get to safety. I know she's OK and half of her cabin is OK. Half of Harrisson Hall is gone. Some girls on the flats went to cozy with the big three and some girls then went to rec Hall because the flooding was increasing, and as it got higher and higher, they went to the second floor of rec hall and they were with the younger campers and the water would hit them while they were on that second floor because of the waves crashing in from the floods.

I know the girls in cozy were first holding onto the poles because the flood waters were so intense, but then it got to their heads to the point where they weren't gonna be able to breathe so they had to climb to get to the roof. Elizabeth Sweet took off her shirt at some point and made a rope to get Rachel farhiootie onto the roof. The water was over the roof, but they were just clutching onto the roof the whole time. Cars are piled on top of each other. There was an entire pileup of just so many cars. Christiana said that it looked unreal. From the hill, they saw a car that wasby the art hut and one that was by the bridge.

- Meredith Martin, when the flooding hit, went to dick and tweety's house and smashed the window and went and saved Tweety

It's now a recovery mission and no longer a rescue mission. "

Since the name has been posted already I will verify that Virginia Hollis is our local Bellville girl who is still missing. She is one of the sweetest little girls we know. A loving family who have been life long friends to us. Our kids are all the same ages and have known each other their entire life. Our entire town is hurting and praying she is somehow found safe. The last 24 hours have been so difficult. Please God let these girls be found alive.

I don't have any words.

Unspeakable tragedy.

jrrhouston98 said:

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My niece sent me this, her friend is a counselor in Bubble Inn and is still missing. If I need to delete, please let me know.

Some more clarity on what happened at Mystic

What we know from a flat perspective is that the flooding started to hit but it was the middle of the night. Dick was coming down with Edward in cars trying to get campers to a safer spot either the new camp or somewhere else. He was driving back-and-forth and back-and-forth and two cabins made it to sky high and the rest of the camp made it to the new camp. The campers not accounted for were bubble inn and the twins cabins. Dick was driving to bubble in to get the girls and was loading them in his truck when the truck got swept away. Libby Liuzzi was in a twins cabin and they couldn't open the door and so she smashed the windows and we're sending her girls out to get to safety. I know she's OK and half of her cabin is OK. Half of Harrisson Hall is gone. Some girls on the flats went to cozy with the big three and some girls then went to rec Hall because the flooding was increasing, and as it got higher and higher, they went to the second floor of rec hall and they were with the younger campers and the water would hit them while they were on that second floor because of the waves crashing in from the floods.

I know the girls in cozy were first holding onto the poles because the flood waters were so intense, but then it got to their heads to the point where they weren't gonna be able to breathe so they had to climb to get to the roof. Elizabeth Sweet took off her shirt at some point and made a rope to get Rachel farhiootie onto the roof. The water was over the roof, but they were just clutching onto the roof the whole time. Cars are piled on top of each other. There was an entire pileup of just so many cars. Christiana said that it looked unreal. From the hill, they saw a car that wasby the art hut and one that was by the bridge.

- Meredith Martin, when the flooding hit, went to dick and tweety's house and smashed the window and went and saved Tweety

It's now a recovery mission and no longer a rescue mission. "

---

Ughhh

Prayers and sadness to all affected
My heart hurts so bad

Lord bless those for your glory and purpose

Yesterday said:

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I don't have any words.

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I am with you. Stunned. Want to help, but how?

Edit: When Katrina hit I was on the floor of the Astrodome helping the people coming in. I was doing something. Now, I don't know what to do.

Urban Country Boy said:

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Yesterday said:

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I don't have any words.

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I am with you. Stunned. Want to help, but how?

Edit: When Katrina hit I was on the floor of the Astrodome with the people coming in. I was doing something. Now, I don't know what to do.

---

Right now…honestly…the most helpful thing is to stay out of the area and let the crews do what they need to do…

Donate, pray, support those who need it…but there's nothing you can do to help in that area directly…let the first responders do their thing…

jrrhouston98 said:

---

My niece sent me this, her friend is a counselor in Bubble Inn and is still missing. If I need to delete, please let me know.

Some more clarity on what happened at Mystic

What we know from a flat perspective is that the flooding started to hit but it was the middle of the night. Dick was coming down with Edward in cars trying to get campers to a safer spot either the new camp or somewhere else. He was driving back-and-forth and back-and-forth and two cabins made it to sky high and the rest of the camp made it to the new camp. The campers not accounted for were bubble inn and the twins cabins. Dick was driving to bubble in to get the girls and was loading them in his truck when the truck got swept away. Libby Liuzzi was in a twins cabin and they couldn't open the door and so she smashed the windows and we're sending her girls out to get to safety. I know she's OK and half of her cabin is OK. Half of Harrisson Hall is gone. Some girls on the flats went to cozy with the big three and some girls then went to rec Hall because the flooding was increasing, and as it got higher and higher, they went to the second floor of rec hall and they were with the younger campers and the water would hit them while they were on that second floor because of the waves crashing in from the floods.

I know the girls in cozy were first holding onto the poles because the flood waters were so intense, but then it got to their heads to the point where they weren't gonna be able to breathe so they had to climb to get to the roof. Elizabeth Sweet took off her shirt at some point and made a rope to get Rachel farhiootie onto the roof. The water was over the roof, but they were just clutching onto the roof the whole time. Cars are piled on top of each other. There was an entire pileup of just so many cars. Christiana said that it looked unreal. From the hill, they saw a car that wasby the art hut and one that was by the bridge.

- Meredith Martin, when the flooding hit, went to dick and tweety's house and smashed the window and went and saved Tweety

It's now a recovery mission and no longer a rescue mission. "

---

I want to clarify to those looking for info that this is a more firsthand account than what I have posted. My knowledge comes from my wife's time working as Big 3 (think lead counselors) who was well aware of safety plans for flood events. And from peripheral sources that were around what happened and close to the situation. My wife has yet to be able to reach anyone that survived the tragedy. Our prayers are deeply with the whole community right now

I talked with my boss this morning. He said their church in Kerrville will likely be leading the effort for support in the coming days. As soon as he gets info for donations and coordinating help, he'll share it with me and I'll share it here.

Just incredible, heart-breaking. And, I have been around rivers on the Edwards Plateau all my life. They all flow generally NW to SE steep gradient in places with devastating effect. They are generally placid and beautiful but turn into raging torrents when deluges occur on the upper watershed.

Any updates from overnight IR work?

FireAg said:

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Right now…honestly…the most helpful thing is to stay out of the area and let the crews do what they need to do…

Donate, pray, support those who need it…but there's nothing you can do to help in that area directly…let the first responders do their thing…

---

Do you know where donations would be best made?

Law enforcement is saying to stay away unless you have family in the area, at this point more harm than help. Group of retired special ops groups came in to help and were given advanced comms equipment…that don't work. Too much confusion going on for anyone without training to be involved.

From someone that has done some SAR stuff and been through my fair share of tragedy, reach out to me at any time if you need to talk. I may not be the best but I can put you in contact with someone that can.

Give to churches and task forces, they are one step removed from helping and it's easier to follow the money.

We pray for those families and friends involved as well as the first responders. This will take years to unpack everything and the most important thing is to talk to someone. What really helped me was when I finally submitted to God and didn't carry the burden on my own.

Deuteronomy 31:8: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

spud1910 said:

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FireAg said:

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Right now…honestly…the most helpful thing is to stay out of the area and let the crews do what they need to do…

Donate, pray, support those who need it…but there's nothing you can do to help in that area directly…let the first responders do their thing…

---

Do you know where donations would be best made?

---

Listening to the presser, the mayor of Kerville said to check the city Facebook page for ways to donate. If you're looking to donate financially, here is the place he referenced for monetary donations:
https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLWNvtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpwTuEaNMQrhNOG9e4L0xCPZHdemtLlzSYJsALpksGmXDLpU9THpypazJ6kI_aem_cYX6jXDpRDITmCgJGyLRRg]

Wow - Dick was a true hero. He saved a lot of girls. He just couldn't get them all.

I saw her posted by some of the Bylers. So sad for your small town.

This is just going to have so many layers of devastation.

spud1910 said:

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FireAg said:

---

Right now…honestly…the most helpful thing is to stay out of the area and let the crews do what they need to do…

Donate, pray, support those who need it…but there's nothing you can do to help in that area directly…let the first responders do their thing…

---

Do you know where donations would be best made?

---

Contact churches in your area. Samaritan's Purse is also a good organization to contact.

A lot of fire departments will probably be advertising drop spots when admin offices open on Monday. Pay attention to their social media pages.

I would advise against trying to contact local fire departments right now. A lot of them are busy getting people ready for deployment and getting stations back filled to cover shifts.

jrrhouston98 said:

---

My niece sent me this, her friend is a counselor in Bubble Inn and is still missing. If I need to delete, please let me know.

Some more clarity on what happened at Mystic

What we know from a flat perspective is that the flooding started to hit but it was the middle of the night. Dick was coming down with Edward in cars trying to get campers to a safer spot either the new camp or somewhere else. He was driving back-and-forth and back-and-forth and two cabins made it to sky high and the rest of the camp made it to the new camp. The campers not accounted for were bubble inn and the twins cabins. Dick was driving to bubble in to get the girls and was loading them in his truck when the truck got swept away. Libby Liuzzi was in a twins cabin and they couldn't open the door and so she smashed the windows and we're sending her girls out to get to safety. I know she's OK and half of her cabin is OK. Half of Harrisson Hall is gone. Some girls on the flats went to cozy with the big three and some girls then went to rec Hall because the flooding was increasing, and as it got higher and higher, they went to the second floor of rec hall and they were with the younger campers and the water would hit them while they were on that second floor because of the waves crashing in from the floods.

I know the girls in cozy were first holding onto the poles because the flood waters were so intense, but then it got to their heads to the point where they weren't gonna be able to breathe so they had to climb to get to the roof. Elizabeth Sweet took off her shirt at some point and made a rope to get Rachel farhiootie onto the roof. The water was over the roof, but they were just clutching onto the roof the whole time. Cars are piled on top of each other. There was an entire pileup of just so many cars. Christiana said that it looked unreal. From the hill, they saw a car that wasby the art hut and one that was by the bridge.

- Meredith Martin, when the flooding hit, went to dick and tweety's house and smashed the window and went and saved Tweety

It's now a recovery mission and no longer a rescue mission. "

---

Meredith was a HS classmate of my daughter. Great kid.

This breaks my heart Derm. I pray for strength and support for your family and all those affected.

Thank you.

LB12Diamond said:

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This breaks my heart Derm. I pray for strength and support for your family and all those affected.

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Thanks.

2:30 pm press conference today.


MEDIA ADVISORY: Governor Abbott To Hold Press Conference On Texas' Ongoing Response To Hill Country Flooding In Kerrville
AUSTIN Governor Greg Abbott will hold a press conference with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and state and local officials in Kerrville to provide an update on Texas' ongoing response to severe flooding impacting Kerr County and surrounding communities TODAY, Saturday, July 5.

The Governor will also be joined by U.S. Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Congressman Chip Roy, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer, Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Freeman Martin, and local officials.


The press conference will be streamed live at Facebook.com/TxDEM[url=https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTxDEM%2F/1/01000197db746edd-16f69d2a-bc86-4db4-b533-15cf3edfaf24-000000/ElyQp6VTsrDG4xqsLJZvjcr5w0McJSsiZfOIPhNdrCM=412][/url].

WHO: Governor Abbott
Secretary Noem
Senator Cornyn
Congressman Roy
Chief Kidd
Major General Suelzer
Colonel Martin

WHAT: Press conference

WHEN: TODAY, Saturday, July 5 at 2:30 PM
Media setup begins at 2:00 PM

WHERE: Hill Country Youth Event Center
3785 Highway 27
Kerrville, TX 78028

Kerr County Sheriff's Office posted this on Facebook:

Quote:

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There is a shelter for the general public who needs assistance at First United Methodist Church, 321 Thompson Drive in Kerrville. At present, don't need material or volunteer donations, as we are coordinating with a strong state response. Cash donations can be made to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

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Link to that organization

https://www.communityfoundation.net/

Here's a gofundme posted for Meredith Martin

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-meredith-rebuild-after-flood-loss

spud1910 said:

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FireAg said:

---

Right now…honestly…the most helpful thing is to stay out of the area and let the crews do what they need to do…

Donate, pray, support those who need it…but there's nothing you can do to help in that area directly…let the first responders do their thing…

---

Do you know where donations would be best made?

---

I do not…would wait for officials to post known charities taking donations to directly help folks…

I would have said the Red Cross (don't know about them now, but when doing SAR back during the 1997 tornado outbreak in Cedar Park and Jarrell, they were awesome at feeding us first responders and providing us with ways to let family know where we were deployed…sounds like they are not the same org they once were, but I have no first hand knowledge either way since 1997)…

Donations website

https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201&fbclid=IwY2xjawLWPVFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtW5dqcpBRSCZrVvGP1qT8Ougbp6ADwP2Y0FGs6I6XmXD40aQIq0mPg5ZuzJ_aem_Gl9DwA7i1NVtuJOHy1vLuA

Still no pics out of Camp Mystic that we've seen. The before and after are gonna be just awful.

BrazosDog02 said:

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Any updates from overnight IR work?

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An adult deceased has been recovered from the missing list. I am not going to post the name because its not out yet.

Edit. I don't think it had anything to do with IR search.

Hey guys. So the children in Wiggle Inn with Hazel were kept safe by an individual who works night security at Camp Mystic. This guy came out to their cabin after the dam broke and kept them inside floating on mattresses until their heads hit the ceiling before the water receded.

The parents of Wiggle Inn are in search of this guy but all we've been able to gather is his name is Glenn and he works night security from 10PM to 3 AM and sometimes helps grill burgers for the girls. He is also very tall with gray hair and possibly a retired law enforcement officer.

If anyone has info and is willing to pass it along, please DM me. We want to make sure we can thank him properly for saving our children.

Badace52 said:

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Hey guys. So the children in Wiggle Inn with Hazel were kept safe by an individual who works night security at Camp Mystic. This guy came out to their cabin after the dam broke and kept them inside floating on mattresses until their heads hit the ceiling before the water receded.

The parents of Wiggle Inn are in search of this guy but all we've been able to gather is his name is Glenn and he works night security from 10PM to 3 AM and sometimes helps grill burgers for the girls. He is also very tall with gray hair and possibly a retired law enforcement officer.

If anyone has info and is willing to pass it along, please DM me. We want to make sure we can thank him properly for saving our children.

---

Amazing. God bless Glenn.

I'll see if my wife or her friends know him and have his contact

Devastating is an understatement. My prayers are being lifted for all.

For those on this thread with loved ones impacted, you are especially being lifted up by name.

We pray with Hope. Prayers for comfort. Prayers for peace.

This is just terrible… just picked up my daughter from her camp and can't imagine what some people are going through.

BrazosDog02 said:

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Any updates from overnight IR work?

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I can only tell you that there are no air assets in the air since this morning. An Army Chinook and a USCG fixed wing plane were on the ground near Kerrville Park this morning. They may still be there in the event a rescue is necessary.

Helos were shifted to Lago Vista and Liberty Hill where bridges were washed out last night/this morning.