Title: Amidst Texas Flooding, Families Endure Heartbreak and Hope for Recovery
KERRVILLE, Texas — As dusk settled over the sweltering Texas landscape, Xavier Ramirez stood anxiously outside Calvary Temple Church, clinging to hope that his mother, stepfather, aunt, uncle, and cousin might have escaped the chaos unleashed by the swollen Guadalupe River.
At 23 years old and hailing from Midland, Ramirez appeared visibly exhausted, navigating his emotions “minute to minute, second to second,” he said.
One of his cousins, 23-year-old Devyn Smith, was rescued late Friday after the river overflowed its banks while she was at HTR Campgrounds near Ingram. She was located approximately 20 miles downriver, entangled in a tree, and is now recuperating at Peterson Regional Center, as reported by Ramirez.
However, she was among six relatives who had been at the campgrounds when the disaster struck. Ramirez was still seeking news about his aunt Tasha Ramos, cousin Kendall Ramos, stepfather Cody Crossland, mother Michelle Crossland, and uncle Joel Ramos.
He shared fond memories of the campground, a cherished family retreat where they had gathered to enjoy the river since his childhood.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), swiftly developing thunderstorms in the Texas Hill Country resulted in what has been labeled as near-100-year flooding. On Friday morning, the Guadalupe River registered at 23.4 feet, surpassing the “major flooding” threshold, as detailed by NOAA.
The sudden surge of water—possibly exacerbated by a “flood wave”—transformed the landscape, leaving behind abandoned vehicles, destroyed homes, and deserted businesses, with camps once bustling for the holiday weekend now submerged in muddy debris.
This catastrophic flooding has led to at least 51 confirmed fatalities across the state, with many more individuals still unaccounted for, including 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp. Kerr County has experienced the widest impact, reporting at least 43 deaths, with 15 being children, as ongoing search and rescue operations continue.
Governor Greg Abbott visited Kerrville on Saturday, declaring a state of disaster for 20 counties significantly affected by the floods and designating Sunday as a day of prayer for those affected by this severe weather event. He also requested federal disaster aid.
Ramirez recounted how his family had been asleep when the rapid rise of the Guadalupe River began in the early hours of Friday morning.
“They slept in the truck due to safety concerns about their tent,” Ramirez explained, based on what his cousin shared. The family traveled in two trucks: his mother, stepfather, and a teenage cousin in one, while his aunt, uncle, and Smith rode in the other.
It was his aunt who first noticed the danger. In a hurried scramble, they climbed to the tops of their trucks, using sunroofs to escape the growing floodwaters.
“They lost my uncle first to the force of the current,” Ramirez recalled. “He had tried to keep everyone together but couldn’t hold on.”
Despite the turmoil, his mother, stepfather, and Smith managed to reach higher ground, intending to seek help.
“We discovered their truck in Ingram, lodged against a tree and overturned, not far from the campground,” he noted.
Inside the truck, they found his mother’s purse when they located it Saturday after a long day of searching.
“I’m the only boy, so I’m trying to stay strong for the rest of my family,” Ramirez said.
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