Texas flood victims: What we know
The death toll is expected to rise, and forecasters warn of more rain on July 6 in areas that were already hard hit.
The flash flooding on the Guadalupe River in central Texas has killed at least 79 people. Local officials in Kerr County said on July 6 that 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls' Christian summer camp, are still missing.
On July 6, near the bank of the Guadalupe River in Ingram, the search for survivors grew more desperate as volunteers prepared horses to help search and rescue efforts.
Flood damage made it difficult for vehicles to reach many areas. The death toll is expected to rise, and forecasters warn of more rain on July 6 in areas that were already hard hit.
Here's what we know about those who were killed.
Chloe Childress
Ms Chloe Childress, 18, a counselor at Camp Mystic, died when floodwaters swept through the camp, according to the school she had recently graduated from.
Mr Jonathan Eades, head of school at the Kinkaid School in Houston, wrote in a statement that Ms Childress lost her life upholding a 'selfless and fierce commitment to others'.
'She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room,' he wrote. 'Whether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone's burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave.'
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng
Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House
Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest
Business Beyond the 9 to 5: Why side hustles are becoming a way of life for more full-time workers
Singapore Changkat Primary School turns 2,000 old uniforms into new creations for 60th anniversary
Life Star Awards 2025: 11 looks that shocked and charmed on the red carpet
Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch
World Tariffs will kick in on Aug 1 barring trade deals: US Treasury Secretary
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Childress had been working as a counselor at Camp Mystic since June, shortly after graduation.
Dick Eastland
The longtime director of Camp Mystic, Mr Dick Eastland, was among the dead, elected officials and family members confirmed.
Mr Eastland and his wife Tweety have run the nearly century-old Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe for decades. He was reportedly swept away while trying to rescue children from rising floodwaters.
'If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,' Mr Eastland's grandson George wrote on Instagram.
'That's the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched.'
Julian Ryan
Exhausted from a long night working as a dishwasher at a local restaurant, Mr Julian Ryan, 27, was asleep in his trailer home in Ingram, Texas, when the river reached his front door on July 4 before dawn.
By the time he and his fiancee Christinia Wilson woke up, water was up to their ankles. His mother Marilyn Ryan and his 6-year-old son had already rushed into the room for safety.
In what seemed like a blink, Ms Wilson said, the water was up to their waists; their front door had burst open and the river had gushed into the house.
Their mattress began to float, so they placed their 13-month-old son and the 6-year-old atop it. The bedroom door was stuck shut from the water pressure on the other side.
In a panic, Mr Ryan tried to punch through a window so they could escape. But the sharp glass cut nearly through his arm, causing him to bleed profusely, Ms Wilson and Ms Marilyn Ryan said on July 5 in a phone interview.
They called 911 again and again, but no one came, both women said. With the water rising to their chins, the women shouted for help as Mr Ryan started to lose consciousness, they said.
'He had lost so much blood and knew he wasn't going to make it,' Ms Wilson said. 'He said, 'I love you. I'm so sorry.' In minutes, he was gone.'
Ms Wilson said the trailer was torn in half by the force of the water, yet everyone in the family but Julian survived.
'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost,' she said. 'He died trying to save us.'
Blair and Brooke Harber
Two young sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, were staying in a cabin along the Guadalupe with their grandparents when their cabin was washed away, according to the Reverend Joshua J. Whitfield, the pastor of their Dallas church, St Rita Catholic Community.
Blair, 13, was headed to eighth grade at St Rita's school. Brooke, 11, was bound for sixth grade there.
Both girls died and their grandparents are still missing, the pastor said on July 5 in a letter to parishioners.
Their parents – Ms Annie Harber, a first and second grade instructional specialist at St Rita's, and Mr RJ Harber – were staying in another cabin and are safe, he said.
'In moments like this, we are reminded of life's fragility and the lasting power of faith,' Mr Whitfield wrote, adding, 'we will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them'.
A prayer service for the girls was held at the church on the afternoon of July 5. A photo of the service shows a packed house.
Katheryn Eads
Ms Katheryn Eads, 52, died after being swept away in the floodwaters, her husband Brian Eads said in a brief phone call July 5.
The couple were awakened by rushing water surrounding them inside their recreational vehicle, Mr Eads said.
They managed to get out, and a man driving another RV offered them a ride. They made it across the street when the vehicle they were in died, Mr Eads said.
The couple was swept out of the truck by water. Mr Eads said he was struck in the head by debris and lost track of his wife. He survived by holding onto a tree until he reached dry land, he said.
Sarah Marsh
Sarah Marsh, an 8-year-old student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mountain Brook, Alabama, was one of the campers at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.
In a statement posted online, Mr Stewart Welch, the mayor of Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, confirmed that Sarah was among those who died in the flood and said that the city was heartbroken.
'This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school and our entire community,' he wrote. 'Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew her and loved her.'
In a text message on July 5, Sarah's grandmother, Ms Debbie Ford Marsh, said that Sarah's parents were not able to talk and declined to comment on behalf of the family.
Earlier, on Facebook, she posted: 'We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!'
Janie Hunt
Janie Hunt, 9, of Dallas, died in the flash flooding, her grandmother Margaret Hunt said in an interview.
Janie was also attending Camp Mystic. It was her first time there as a camper, and she attended along with six of her cousins, who were safe, Ms Hunt said.
Ms Hunt said she was in Vermont when she got a call from her daughter, Ms Anne Lindsay Hunt, telling her about the flooding.
Janie's parents drove to Ingram Elementary, the reunification center, where they were told to visit a funeral home and identify their daughter. Janie, a great-granddaughter of the oil baron William Herbert Hunt, was the eldest of three children.
Bobby and Amanda Martin
Mr Bobby Martin, 46, and his wife Amanda, 44, were among those killed, Bobby Martin's father, Mr John Keith Martin, told The New York Times.
The couple, from Odessa, Texas, were reportedly camping by the Guadalupe River when their RV was swept away by rising floodwaters.
The elder Martin said one of his grandchildren and that grandchild's girlfriend were with the couple and were still missing.
'He was an adventurous man, adventurous and outgoing. He had many good friends, because he was a good friend,' Mr John Keith Martin said of his son. 'He's just incredible.'
Jane Ragsdale
Ms Jane Ragsdale, director and co-owner of the Heart O' the Hills summer camp in Kerr County, is among those confirmed dead in the flooding, according to a statement posted to the camp's website. No campers were residing at the site when the floods hit.
'We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane's death,' the statement said. 'She embodied the spirit of Heart O' the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer.'
Ms Ragsdale, who became camp director in 1988, started as a camper and later became a counselor. NY TIMES
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
42 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Wimbledon day eight
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 5, 2025 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his third round match against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Highlights of the eighth day at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Monday (times GMT): 1006 PLAY UNDER WAY Play began under overcast skies at the All England Club, with the temperature hovering around 17 degrees Celsius (62.6°F) and expected to climb to 21 degrees, and cool and dry conditions expected throughout the day. READ MORE: PREVIEW-Milestone hunter Djokovic set for De Minaur test Sabalenka stands tall, Norrie survives to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals You cannot be serious! Wimbledon line-calling system under fire after major glitch Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Fewer marriages and births in Singapore in 2024; greater stability for later cohorts Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032 Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Malaysia's Pulau Tioman found dead on the beach Singapore $1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence Asia Bali flights nixed after huge Indonesia volcano eruption Life How to cope with the heat when travelling: 5 expert-backed tips Anisimova ends Czech three-peat hopes with victory over Noskova Alcaraz resists red-hot Rublev to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Norrie sees off ace-monster Jarry in thriller to reach last eight Siegemund stops lucky loser Sierra to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Sabalenka passes Mertens test to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals Pavlyuchenkova beats Kartal to reach last eight despite line-calling glitch WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) CENTRE COURT (Play begins at 1230 GMT) 11-Alex de Minaur (Australia) v 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7-Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v 10-Emma Navarro (U.S.) 1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 19-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) COURT NUMBER ONE (Play begins at 1200 GMT) 18-Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) v Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 10-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Lorenzo Sonego (Italy) 8-Iga Swiatek (Poland) v 23-Clara Tauson (Denmark) COURT NUMBER TWO (Play begins at 1000 GMT) Marin Cilic (Croatia) v 22-Flavio Cobolli (Italy) 19-Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain) REUTERS

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Heat wave grips South Korea as monsoon ends early
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox As monsoon season was officially declared to have ended in southern parts of South Korea on July 3, intense heat waves are expected throughout the week, with heat wave warnings issued across most parts of the country as of 10am on July 7. On July 7, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced that it would upgrade its previous heat wave advisories to warnings for most parts of the country, including the Greater Seoul region, North and South Chungcheong provinces, North and South Gyeongsang provinces, North Jeolla Province and eastern parts of Jeju Island. Heat wave advisories are issued when the highest apparent temperature is expected to exceed 33 deg C for two or more consecutive days, while heat wave warnings are issued when the highest apparent temperature is expected to exceed 35 deg C for two or more consecutive days. According to the KMA, of the 183 inland regions under heat-related alerts, 122 are under heat wave warnings and 55 are under advisories. Seoul also saw its first citywide heat wave advisory of the year issued July 7, arriving 18 days earlier than last year's heat wave warning. The heat is expected to intensify in the capital and other cities in the Greater Seoul region on July 8 and 9, as high temperatures of up to 36 C are expected both days. If temperatures rise above than 36 deg C on the following two days, a new temperature record could be set. According to the state weather agency, the highest July temperature on record in Seoul was 36.8 deg C, set on July 9, 1939. Up until now, hot and humid southwesterly winds flowing along the edge of the North Pacific high-pressure system have brought particularly hot temperatures to the eastern parts of Korea, including Gangneung in Gangwon Province. Gangneung saw temperatures rise as high as 38.7 deg C on July 6 — the third-highest July temperature record seen since measurements were first taken in 1911. However, as the direction of the wind moves east, the focus of the heat wave is also expected to shift. While Gangneung and other parts of Gangwon Province located along the east will see relatively cooler temperatures of around 29 deg C to 30 deg C, western parts of Korea including Seoul will see sweltering temperatures. This shift is mainly due to the influence of Typhoon Danas, moving toward Shantou, China. While the typhoon is not forecast to make landfall in Korea, the KMA warned that the tropical air mass being pushed toward the Korean Peninsula will intensify the current heat waves, bringing both higher temperatures and increased humidity. As scorching heat continues to grip the country, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported on July 7 that 59 people visited emergency rooms nationwide due to heat-related symptoms on July 6, with two fatalities reported in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province and Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, after suffering a heat stroke. Since the launch of the national heat illness surveillance system on May 15 — covering 517 emergency medical facilities — a total of 875 people have been treated for heat-related illnesses and seven deaths have been reported. According to the KDCA, this marks a sharp increase compared to the same period last year, which saw 469 cases and three deaths. The 875 cases recorded up until now already surpass last year's total of 859. Relief from the heat may come over the weekend as a high-pressure system carrying cooler northern air is expected to move toward the peninsula on July 12. The interaction between the cooler air and the lingering heat may lead to the formation of a stationary front, bringing rain to the capital region as well as the western parts of Gangwon Province on July 16. Due to the potential for additional rainfall, the KMA has yet to officially declare an end to the monsoon season in the central parts of the country. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Extreme heat is scorching parts of the world. Singapore travels are pressing on.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Young people jump into the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris as an early summer heatwave hits France. SINGAPORE – Summer has scorched the mid-year travel season in June and July, continuing the trend of record-breaking heat that has swept continents in recent years. In southern Spain and Portugal, the mercury is expected to hit a blistering 43 deg C, while 21 Italian cities, including Milan, Venice and Rome, have been placed on red alert for extreme heat – the highest warning level in the country.