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Camp Mystic Survivor, 13, Details "Hysterical" Scene of Texas Flood

Camp Mystic Survivor, 13, Details "Hysterical" Scene of Texas Flood

Yahoo08-07-2025
Originally appeared on E! Online
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.'
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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
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Naomi unfiltered: How WWE's ultimate heel champion found power in reinvention
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Naomi unfiltered: How WWE's ultimate heel champion found power in reinvention

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time2 hours ago

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Rian Johnson to Receive 2025 Austin Film Festival's Bill Wittliff Screenwriting Award

The ceremony will coincide with the Texas premiere of Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' The Austin Film Festival will bestow the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting to writer/director Rian Johnson, as part of this year's Writers Conference, happening Oct. 23 – 26. The festival will also screen Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,' the third installment in the filmmaker's whodunnit series after 'Knives Out' and 'Glass Onion.' Both screenplays were nominated for Academy Awards. 'Wake Up Dead Man' sees Daniel Craig return as private detective Benoit Blanc, investigating a new murder and interrogating a new set of quirky suspects. The typically star-studded cast includes Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church. The film will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before being released on Netflix on Dec. 12. More from TheWrap Rian Johnson to Receive 2025 Austin Film Festival's Bill Wittliff Screenwriting Award | Exclusive Liam Neeson Admits He Used a Butt Double in 'The Naked Gun': 'It's in the Contract' | Video How Will 'Bad Guys 2' and 'Naked Gun' Fare Against 'Fantastic Four' at the Box Office? How 'KPop Demon Hunters' Became Netflix's 'Frozen' | Exclusive The award is named after Bill Wittliff, the Austin-born screenwriter of 'Lonesome Dove,' 'Legends of the Fall' and 'The Perfect Storm' (among many others). He died in 2019 at the age of 79. 'We are thrilled to welcome Rian Johnson back to Austin Film Festival as this year's recipient of the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting,' Barbara Morgan, AFF's co-founder and executive director, said in a statement. 'Rian is an incredibly gifted screenwriter and visionary filmmaker whose body of work and generosity to the next generation of storytellers exemplifies this award. His latest installment in the Knives Out Mystery canon, 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,' solidifies his singular talent for combining intricate plotting, sharp comedic sense and character-driven emotional impact to deliver an always unexpected, wildly entertaining story. Our audience will be delighted to experience this twisting, turning, captivating caper on the silver screen this October.' Johnson will be recognized at AFF's Awards Luncheon alongside producing awardee Christine Vachon and television writer awardee Yvette Lee Bowser. The Awards Luncheon takes place on Saturday, Oct. 25 and features awardees honored for their career achievements, AFF's script and film competition winners and the recipients of industry-sponsored fellowships. 'I'm honored to be receiving the Bill Wittliff award from the Austin Film Festival,' Johnson said in a statement. 'I love the AFF and its support of established and emerging writers, and attending will be both a pleasure and a welcomed excuse to procrastinate on my own writing.' Austin Film Festival's Writers Conference will again present over 150 panels on the art, craft and business of storytelling, featuring a slate of prominent industry professionals working in film, television, and new media. Badges and Passes are available now. The post Rian Johnson to Receive 2025 Austin Film Festival's Bill Wittliff Screenwriting Award | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.

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