Camp Mystic Survivor, 13, Details "Hysterical" Scene of Texas Flood
Stella Thompson is reflecting on a terrifying experience.
After 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic in Texas died due to the flash floods that hit the state on July 4, the 13-year-old survivor provided insight into the emotions that she and her fellow campers felt while waiting for rescue teams to arrive.
'It's the uncertainty that really shook up our cabin,' Thompson told NBC News Dallas Fort-Worth July 7 before recalling her cabin's reaction to finding out people staying along the Guadalupe River were in more immediate danger and already being evacuated. 'Eventually, when we got that news, we were all kind of hysterical, and the whole cabin was praying a lot and terrified—but not for ourselves."
And while the teen recalled worrying about others' safety, she also admitted that it was hard to grasp the scope of the disaster while it was happening since she was instructed to stay inside her Cypress Lake location until help arrived.
"While it was going on, I sort of felt a numbness,' Thompson said. 'Saying it out loud is making me realize what actually happened and how bad it actually is.'
More from E! Online
LeAnn Rimes Details 'Craziness' of Affair With Eddie Cibrian
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom Reunite in Italy After Breakup
Trinity Rodman Slams Wimbledon Coverage Mentioning Estranged Dad Dennis Rodman
It wasn't until Thompson—who had arrived for her sixth year of summer camp just days before the floods—and the rest of the people in her cabin were evacuated to safety by military trucks later that evening that she was able to see the devastation the floods had caused.
"You'd see kayaks, like, in trees," Thompson explained. "It was kind of horrific because we had no idea. Some people saw a couple trunks just in the debris. And there were first responders in the water pulling out girls' sheets."
Noting that "huge trees" had also been "ripped out of the ground" by the roots, she added, "It didn't look like Camp Mystic anymore."
The Texas flood has become one of the deadliest to hit the United States over the past 100 years with, as of July 7, a death toll of 104 individuals, per NBC News. The rains caused a surge of 20-26 feet on the Guadalupe River, causing widespread damage to property and local infrastructure, according to the outlet.
Following the tragedy, Camp Mystic, which was hosting 750 campers at the time of the flood, shared a statement about the catastrophic event.
'Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River,' the camp wrote on its website July 7. 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly.'
For more people who've spoken out about the Texas floods, keep reading.
Jenna Bush HagerJennifer GarnerMatthew McConaughey and Camila McConaugheyHilary DuffShakiraKhloe KardashianKris JennerChristy Carlson RomanoMandy MooreMaria Shriver
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
25 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Pets are still being rescued from Texas floods. One girl is helping.
Kamryn Balfour was at summer camp less than 20 miles from Camp Mystic when devastating floods tore through Central Texas earlier this month. 'I didn't hear about it until I got picked up the next day when it was all sunny, and I just thought it was some pretty hard rain,' said Kamryn, 11, a camper at Kickapoo Kamp in Kerrville, Texas. 'I felt very, very sad that those innocent girls got flooded out.' She realized how lucky she was to have been spared. 'I was there at camp like them, too. That could have been me,' said Kamryn, who did not know anyone at Camp Mystic. At least 135 people were killed in the flooding, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. Kamryn — who lives in League City, Texas, about halfway between Houston and Galveston — said she felt helpless and heartbroken. An idea came to her during the car ride home from camp. Kamryn decided she would bake and sell cookies, donating all proceeds to flood relief efforts. She set a goal of raising $500, and started baking as soon as she got home from her two-week camp on July 5. She has since baked about 40 batches of chocolate chip cookies, and far surpassed her goal, raising more than $4,300. 'Everybody can make a difference, even if they're a little kid like me,' she said. In May, Kamryn started a baking business called Kamryn's Kravings as part of a kids' entrepreneur fair she participated in. While she didn't keep up with the business after the fair, 'that's when my love for baking started,' she said, noting that her signature chocolate chip cookies use a 'top-secret' family recipe. After the floods, Kamryn decided to restart her baking business, but this time, with a mission. She was concerned that pets might be overlooked in the relief efforts, so she designated charities that were helping pets after the floods, including Kerrville Pets Alive and the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team. Kamryn wanted to support both the pets impacted by the floods and the rescue dogs that aided in recovery. 'I thought maybe I could help,' Kamryn said. The search for displaced pets is ongoing. Kerrville Pets Alive got a call a few days ago about a cat found inside an oven that had been destroyed by flooding. The cat was dehydrated but alive. The group is still trying to reunite rescued pets with their owners. Volunteers continue to recover pets in the area, and though many of them have died, volunteers are identifying them by their microchips so they can alert owners who are still looking for them. Kamryn posted about her fundraising effort on social media, and her family and friends did the same. As word spread, orders started pouring in. 'I didn't have any idea it would take off like this, and all of a sudden, we couldn't even keep up,' said Kamryn's mother, Kelly Balfour, who helps her daughter bake. 'Whatever we make, we sell.' Kamryn is currently enrolled in gymnastics camp, though she still bakes most days, and shops for groceries with her mother. She puts five cookies in a small white bag with a pink bow and sells each for $5 — though many customers donate far more. 'Most people will give a $50 bill and only want two or three bags of cookies,' Balfour said. Orders started mounting even more after Kamryn's baking project was covered by local station KHOU 11. Balfour's friend, Gina Gutierrez — the owner of Cakes by Gina, a bakeshop in Houston — offered up her industrial kitchen. Kamryn is only able to bake one batch at a time, which is about 40 cookies, in their oven at home. 'I said, 'Girl, come on over here, let me help you. Let's multiply the recipe by four or five,'' said Gutierrez. 'The young kids are our future and Kamryn's an example of that … I put my energy into helping her achieve her goals.' Gutierrez encouraged Kamryn to host a pop-up bake sale at her shop on July 12, which was a success, and she has two more pop-ups planned in the coming days. In addition to the pop-ups, Kamryn and her mother hand-deliver the bags of cookies to local customers who place orders over Instagram. 'Kamryn is so cute; she hasn't let me see the full recipe,' Gutierrez said, adding that Kamryn is meticulous about her baking process. Once Kamryn reaches $5,000, she plans to evenly distribute the funds between the two organizations she has chosen. 'It's so heartwarming to see the compassion, especially in these young children who could easily be distracted by other things,' said Karen Guerriero, the board president of Kerrville Pets Alive. 'We thank her from the bottom of our hearts.' Guerriero said Kamryn's contributions are coming at a critical time. 'This will really help us with the extra expenses we have related to the flood animals,' she said, explaining that they're still finding displaced pets in the wreckage of the floods. Kamryn said she plans to keep her fundraising efforts going. 'This is the first time I've raised money to help someone, but it definitely won't be the last,' she said.
CNET
2 hours ago
- CNET
This Unsung Supernatural TV Show Has Everything a Horror Fan Could Want
When it comes to genre television, there haven't been many TV shows over the past decade that have kept me hooked. I watch TV for a living, so color me jaded. When I think of big creative swings in the television realm, shows like Twin Peaks, Severance and The Boys immediately come to mind. That third title I just mentioned is the only one in that trio that is an adaptation -- taking inspiration from the ultraviolent superhero comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Before The Boys, two titles inspired by Ennis's comic book work hit the small screen: the short-lived Constantine and the gloriously bonkers Preacher, which is now streaming on Netflix (until Aug. 18) and AMC Plus. AMC took a crazy big swing with Preacher, tapping series creator Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) to showrun the project with the help of producing duo Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. In May of 2016, the first of the show's four seasons premiered on the small screen and proceeded to kick the TV world right upside the face -- but, like, in the best way. Read more: Philo's Subscription Price Will Increase, but Include AMC Plus Ruth Negga, Dominic Cooper and Joseph Gilgun star in Preacher. AMC Network Preacher follows Jesse Custer (played by Dominic Cooper), a down-on-his-luck Texas priest with a sinister past. He is given a new purpose when a supernatural force known as Genesis inhabits his body, granting him the Word of God -- a superpower that, when summoned, makes anyone follow his command. Fueled by an enduring crisis of faith and his newfound gift, Jesse finds himself on a mission to find God, who just up and left heaven, and bring him to justice. He can't do it alone, though. Joining him on this bizarre road trip adventure is Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga), his formidable ex-girlfriend, and a wise-cracking, chain-smoking, hard-drinking vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun). Add in a collection of untrustworthy angels, pesky demons, that aforementioned deadbeat God and a group of murderous zealots, and you've got yourself one delightfully unhinged TV show. Like The Boys, Preacher isn't directly categorized as a horror series. But it has earned its gruesome flowers. It pivots from one genre to another regularly -- swiftly moving from bloody vampire kill sequence to comedic road trip banter to some heavy apocalyptic, theological drama. Above all else, it's the wonderful dynamic between the core trio that keeps things interesting. Sure, you can revel in the cool action sequences and the southern noir flavor of the story world and its characters, but if the emotional connection between the leads is lacking, the show will fail. Thankfully, that's not the case here. Joseph Gilgun as the vampire Cassidy in Preacher. AMC Network The chemistry between Cooper and Negga is white hot and pretty much jumps off the screen. Gilgun's punk rock take on Cassidy is my favorite thing about the show -- even if the TV version of him was watered down from his brash and brutal (too-violent-for-basic-cable) comic book roots. In a content landscape full of recycled tropes and shows that were canceled too soon, Preacher is a beautiful and unique snowflake. The more I think about it, the more I am baffled that the show was even greenlit in the first place -- and I don't mean that in a bad way. If you've read Ennis's comic book and enjoyed Steve Dillon's visual stylings, you probably had the same thought I had when this show was announced: How? The narrative structure of the books, along with the twisted story arcs -- there's a face-removing serial killer, an immortal bounty hunter who kills angels and so much more -- really made me feel like this was something no one could adapt. Graham McTavish in Preacher, now streaming on Netflix and AMC Plus. AMC Network The same was said at one point or another about Game of Thrones and Watchmen. So, egg on my face, I guess. Things move quickly when it comes to TV shows. They get greenlit only to be canceled in the blink of an eye. The revolving door of what's new, what's popular and what just left the party can be a bit discombobulating. It's this fast-paced entertainment realm that makes me think gems like Preacher can be easily overlooked or forgotten. Preacher exists in a weird pocket of time for television -- The Walking Dead franchise had exploded when it premiered, and the streaming wars had yet to fully kick in. It was before the MCU made its way to Disney Plus, with shows like FX's Legion experimenting with unique visuals and story sequences unlike anything found on basic cable. It was a show that tinkered with what was possible, storytelling-wise, while also giving us some kick-ass insanity to tune into each week. It never really took off; at least not the way The Boys did. And that's a shame because this show was a game-changer. With each season, the story world became larger and more fantastical. Every character chewed the scenery down to the bone, and that was just a part of its bonkers charm. Probably the best thing about the show is that Preacher was allowed to end on its own terms. Yes, that's right, every storyline finds its conclusion, which tends to be a rare thing with TV shows these days. I could keep raving about the series, but I think I've already said too much. Even if I kept writing, I'm not sure if I would be able to substantially encapsulate the brilliant madness of the show. In fact, if I could channel Jesse's Word of God power, I'd probably just wipe this all from your memory. I'd command you to forget everything I just wrote, except the part where I call Preacher, "gloriously bonkers," and tell you to go watch it all right now.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business Insider
This Yeti bag is the hottest tote of the summer — and Wall Street's paying attention
Behold the bag that has a chokehold on mom TikTok: the Yeti Camino 35 Carryall Tote Bag. The waterproof tote bag, made by Texas-based outdoor recreation products company Yeti, has been all over MomTok. Parents are taking videos touting it as the sleekest, most durable bag for carrying their things while ferrying children from place to place. It costs between $150 and $170, per its product listing on Dick's Sporting Goods. The bag, boxy with heavy-duty handles, is huge — 18.1 inches in length, 9.8 inches in width, and 15.2 inches in height. Yeti's website said the bag's carry handles can manage up to 300 pounds of weight. A Friday analyst note from Jefferies on July 18 said the tote has gone viral, with search trends for "YETI Camino 35 Carryall Tote Bag" skyrocketing by 1,100% in the past month. Searches for "YETI bag" have increased by 200%, the note said. Representatives for Yeti did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Perfect bag for a day of bringing kids around Melissa Navarette, a California-based content creator and makeup artist, said she spotted the Yeti Camino 35 last year while scrolling on TikTok for the perfect mom bag. She told Business Insider she needed a bag to bring supplies from her family's house onto their boat for a ride around the lake. She now has two Yeti Camino 35s — one in bright pink and another in jet black. And she's customized them with bag charms, beaded chains, bows, and even a pink Labubu plushie. "The bag has collapsible pockets on the inside, perfect for all of us moms carrying our large Stanley cups around," she said. "I absolutely think it's worth the price." Angelica Torres, a Miami-based content creator and first-grade teacher, said she was already a Yeti fan. The company, founded in 2006 by brothers Roy and Ryan Seiders, is also known for its cooler bags, water bottles, and travel bags. "I bought it to use as my teacher bag for the upcoming school year. I needed something that could keep up with my daily routine, carry all my materials, and still look sleek," Torres said. Erin Gunther, a South Carolina-based content creator who heads a video production company, said she bought her Yeti bag in June while browsing Dick's Sporting Goods for an Owala water bottle. She bought it to carry her family's items to the beach, pool, and boat. She said, "I would seriously buy it 100 times over. It's so versatile, and I think it's going to look brand new for years." The content creators compared it to the Bogg Bag, another mom bag that's been popular on TikTok. The Bogg Bag, which retails on Dick's Sporting Goods' website for $90 before discounts, is a large, flexible plastic bag with holes in the sides. It looks like a bag version of Crocs. "The Yeti bag is much more comfortable to carry versus the Bogg Bag. It's also much cuter in my opinion," said Navarrete. Gunther, too, said she preferred the Yeti Camino's straps over the Bogg Bag's, saying the latter's straps were uncomfortable to carry. Torres said she used a mix of canvas totes and nylon bags for work before switching to the Yeti, and they wore out quickly. "The Camino is a major upgrade; it stands upright, doesn't collapse, and handles wear and tear much better," Torres said. The bag is on Jefferies analysts' radar Jefferies analysts said in a Friday note that the bag has gone viral, and it's boosting Yeti's growth. "Yeti's product innovation is gaining traction, with bags quickly becoming a key growth pillar for the company," Jefferies analysts said in the note, adding that they view the category as a "major contributor to future growth." Jefferies analysts mentioned the Yeti bag in a Monday note, saying its momentum boosted their confidence in Yeti Holdings' stock. "We'd be aggressive buyers at current levels," the note said. The company's stock price is up more than 28% in the past month but is flat compared to a year before.
