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9 News
2 hours ago
- 9 News
Teen who helped family escape from van is among those killed in Texas floods
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Mollie Sylvester Schaffer had been married to her husband, Randy, for 57 years when the Houston couple travelled to an annual get-together with friends on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas . She was killed in the catastrophic flash floods that so far have claimed the lives of 120 people. They include a budding eight-year-old actress and twin sisters from Dallas. Mollie Sylvester Schaffer had been married to her husband, Randy, for 57 years when the Houston couple travelled to an annual get-together with friends on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. (Facebook) The flooding originated from the fast-moving waters of the Guadalupe River on the Fourth of July. Authorities say search and rescue efforts are still underway, including for campers missing from a summer camp for girls. Malaya Grace Hammond, 17, of Marble Falls, was in a van with her family on their way to a Christian summer camp on Saturday. It was dark and raining, and they were unable to see that a bridge had washed out in Travis County. Hammond was able to open a door, allowing the family to escape, but she was swept away by floodwaters, family friends said. She was found on Monday. An avid lover of the arts, she expressed her creativity through painting, dancing and singing, according to her obituary. Hammond was able to open a door, allowing the family to escape, but she was swept away by floodwaters, family friends said (Supplied) "Her ability to harmonise, I think matched her ability to harmonise with others," her father, Matthew Hammond, said in a video posted on Thursday on Facebook. "She felt that harmony was our natural state." Odessa Police Officer Bailey Martin was killed in the July 4 Texas floods near Kerrville. He was on a family trip to the Guadalupe River, the police department said. Bailey's father, Bobby, and stepmother Amanda were also killed in the flood, according a release from the city of Odessa. His girlfriend, Jayda Floyd, has been missing since the morning of July 5. Martin was a native of Odessa who hoped to become a detective, according to a post on the department's Facebook's page profiling recruits. Odessa Police Officer Bailey Martin was killed in the July 4 Texas floods near Kerrville. (Facebook) "I wanted to join because the world we live in is always changing and I wanted to do everything I can to be part of my community as it grows, allowing me to preserve the peace and safety," Martin said in the post. His body was escorted back to Odessa by a procession of police and other emergency vehicles on Wednesday. The department asked residents to replace their porch lights with blue bulbs for the rest of the week in honour of Martin. Mollie Sylvester Schaffer, 76, of Houston, and her husband were at an annual reunion with best friends at the River Inn, on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt. The couple, married for 57 years, evacuated early July Fourth in her SUV. She attempted to drive up a hill. But as the water rose, the vehicle started floating and the doors wouldn't open, her husband, Randy Schaffer, posted on Monday on Facebook. "Mollie lowered the front windows and said to dive out feet first. I tried, but my seat was low, the window was high, and I fell back into the seat. The last words she ever spoke were, 'You have to push harder,'" he wrote. "I pushed as hard as I could and went out the window." Randy Schaffer said he was able to wrap his arms around a pole and climb up until his head was above water. He looked for his wife, but she had been swept into the river. Her body was recovered on Sunday. "She wouldn't leave the car until she was sure that I had done so. She saved my life. It wasn't my day to die. I wish that it hadn't been hers," he wrote. Renee Smajstrla, a eight-year-old straight-A student from Ingram, Texas, who had played a role in her school's production of The Wizard of Oz , was one of the victims who died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, her family said. Renee had just completed second grade and aspired to play the lead role in an upcoming camp production, according to a funeral home obituary. At school, she played The Lullaby League munchkin in The Wizard of Oz . Renee Smajstrla, a eight-year-old straight-A student from Ingram, Texas was one of the victims who died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic. (Shawn Salta via CNN Newsource) "Renee was a great classmate, friend and teammate," the obituary said. "Being an athlete but a cheerleader at heart, Renee often found herself rooting for both teams." Her uncle posted a photo on Facebook of Renee smiling at camp the day before the July 4 floods. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," he wrote. Sally Sample Graves, 91, was killed in the Texas flood when her home was swept away by the rampaging waters, her family said. Graves was with her son and his dog, granddaughter Sarah Sample said in an Instagram post. "A powerful 30 ft wave destroyed her home, sweeping her and our dad downstream," Sample wrote. Graves' son and his dog survived. Sally Sample Graves, 91, was killed in the Texas flood when her home was swept away by the rampaging waters, her family said. (Supplied) "We find solace knowing our dad was with her until the very end; caring for her as he has for years," Sample added in her post. "Her unwavering dedication to family has left an indelible mark on our lives." Graves spent her life performing "innumerable, quiet acts of service," according to a funeral home obituary. "Sally was known for her sharp intellect, quick wit, and gracious spirit," the obituary read. "A consummate host, she had a special way of making others feel welcome and cared for, creating a beautiful home filled with laughter and hospitality." Mary Kate Jacobe, an eight-year-old from Houston described by her family as "tiny but mighty," was a camper at Camp Mystic killed in the July 4 flooding. Jacobe's family described the girl as having a "smile that melted your heart." "Mary Kate, our Sissy, was the baby of our large family and was most certainly our angel on Earth," her family said in a statement. "We are utterly shattered and forever changed by the loss of our girl." A damaged building at Camp Mystic, Texas (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images via CNN ) Joyce Catherine Badon, Ella Cahill and Reese Manchaca had been friends since high school. The three gathered for the July Fourth holiday with Cahill's boyfriend at a home in Hunt, along the Guadalupe River. All three young women were killed. "At 4am this morning, a flash flood came through and washed their cars away," Badon's mother, Kellye Badon, posted on Facebook on July 4. "It happened so quickly with so much water, they could not get in the attic." She said Cahill's boyfriend, who remains missing, called his dad as it was happening, then got washed away with Cahill and Manchaca. Kellye Badon said her daughter was the last person heard from on that call before the phone went dead. Badon, 21, of Beaumont, was a senior architecture student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. "A beloved daughter, friend, and classmate, Joyce was passionate about using her artistry and talent to impact the world, and had recently helped redesign donation centers for Goodwill," the school said in an email. Manchaca was a recent graduate of Caney Creek High School in Conroe. The Conroe Independent School District, where her mother is a long time employee, was offering "Forever in our Hearts" T-shirts featuring images of Texas and angel's wings, with proceeds going to the family. Cahill's sister, Mackenzie Hodulik, asked people to keep her sister's memory in their hearts. "It's not fair," Hodulik posted on Facebook on Tuesday. "She needed more time. We all needed more time with her. I'm mad, sad, but at peace knowing she isn't suffering anymore. There are no words for this kind of pain." Mary Grace Baker, who had recently celebrated her first Holy Communion, was among the victims at Camp Mystic from the flash foods, her school announced. "Mary Grace was a bright light in our close-knit school family, known for her kindness and friendship to all, her joyful spirit and her love for her faith and family," St. Anne Catholic School in Beaumont said on its Facebook page. People gather for a vigil for flood victims in Kerrville, Texas. (AP) "Her giggle was contagious, as was her spirit." Mary Grace had just completed second grade. The school's post described her as a "girls' girl who loved pink sparkles and bows in her signature angelic ringlet curls." The school asked its community to place pink ribbons in trees in honour of Mary Grace after she went missing following the floods. Father and fiance Julian Ryan of Ingram, Texas, lost his life while saving his family during the flooding and helping them escape. In an interview with KHOU, his fiancée Christina Wilson said that the 27-year-old severed an artery in his arm when he broke a window get her, their children and his mother to the roof. Julian Ryan's final words to his mother as floodwaters quickly engulfed their trailer home were simply, "I love you." (GoFundMe) "He looked at me and the kids and my mother-in-law and he was like, 'Sorry, I'm not gonna make it. I love y'all," Wilson said. "Julian jumped into action to protect and save his family and get them to safety. Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero," Joseph Rounsley and Jennifer Mercer wrote on a GoFundMe for Ryan's family. James and Cindy Rushing were camping along the Guadalupe River at the HTR TX Hill Country Campground on the Fourth of July when the flooding struck. "The amount of grief my family is feeling is immeasurable," their son, James Evan Rushing, wrote in a social media post. "My parents have been found, and they are unfortunately gone. My heart is broken into pieces." After the flooding, their daughter, Tamra Blasius, visited their campsite and found nothing left. "Everything gone — their camper, their truck, their belongings — completely washed away. There was no sign that anyone had ever been there. It was absolutely gut-wrenching," she wrote in a social media post on Saturday. On Monday, she wrote that her "worst fears were confirmed — my parents were found and identified, but tragically, they did not survive." Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were among the victims killed by the flooding at Camp Mystic. The girls had just finished second grade, their parents said. "Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper, and to so many others," John and Lacy Lawrence said in a statement. "We will find ways to keep that joy, and to continue to spread it for them. "But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them, and that they shared with each other, is now frozen in time. " David Lawrence, the girls' grandfather and former publisher of the Miami Herald , said "it has been an unimaginable time for all of us." He said the girls gave their family, including their sister, joy. "They and that joy can never be forgotten," he said in a statement. University Park Elementary School, where Hanna and Rebecca attended, said on its website that "numerous" students were in the Texas Hill Country during the flooding and had to evacuate. The school did not immediately respond to a message left on Monday morning. "We are deeply saddened to report the loss of multiple students, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families deeply affected by this unimaginable tragedy," the school said on its site. Reece Zunker was described as "a passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach" by Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas. "His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten," the school posted online on Sunday. Paula Zunker was a former teacher at the school. "The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later," the post said. The couple's young children, Lyle and Holland, were still missing, the school said. The family had been staying at a river house in Hunt. Among the dead is Dick Eastland, the Camp Mystic director. Paige Sumner, a former camper, described him in a column in the local paper, The Kerrville Daily Times , as "the father figure to all of us while we were away from home." Sumner spent one summer working in the camp office, balancing accounts for the commissary, where campers bought snacks and other essentials like stamps. A man removes bedding from sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas (AP) She wrote that her desk was outside Eastland's office. "He still put campers first in every situation," wrote Sumner, who is now the head of philanthropy at a community center in Kerrville. "If an issue of any kind that needed attention came over the walkie-talkie, even a camper with a minor injury or the dreaded snake in the river, he would bolt out of the office and jump in a golf cart to get there as fast as he could." Eastland's grandson, George Eastland, wrote in an Instagram post that his grandfather showed him what a strong Christian man looks like. "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," he wrote. In her column, Sumner noted that the camp had plans for rain. "Usually," she explained, "it means they deliver a special breakfast of sweet rolls to each cabin or singing songs in the Rec Hall. This level of flooding was unprecedented." In a brief telephone call as she grappled with the flood's aftermath at her own office, Sumner was reluctant to add more than she wrote in the column, saying the camp wanted privacy for the families. "We are still holding out hope," she said. "They are broken; they are in shock." Chloe Childress was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic who died in the devastating floods. Childress, 19, "lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith," her family said in a statement. Chloe Childress was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic who died in the devastating floods. (Supplied) "Returning as a counsellor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic," her family said. Childress had just graduated from the Kinkaid School in Houston, which praised her as deeply invested in her community. "Chloe had a remarkable way of making people feel seen. She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room," Jonathan Eads, the head of the school, said in a letter to the school's community on Sunday. "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." Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, was just nine years old. Her mother, Anne Hunt, confirmed her death to CNN, while her grandmother Margaret Hunt confirmed it to The Kansas City Star . The Chiefs franchise declined to comment. But Clark Hunt's wife, Tavia Hunt, posted on Instagram and urged people to rely on their faith. "If your heart is broken, I assure you God is near," Tavia Hunt, wrote in the post. "He is gentle with your wounds. And He is still worthy — even when your soul is struggling to believe it. The last time Tanya Burwick's family heard from her was a frantic phone call about the floodwaters as she headed to work at a Walmart early on Friday in the San Angelo area. When Burwick didn't show up for work, her employer filed a missing persons report and sent a colleague to look for her. Police investigating the 62-year-old's disappearance found Burwick's unoccupied SUV fully submerged later that day. Her body was found the next morning blocks from the vehicle. "She lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh," said Lindsey Burwick, who added that her mom was a beloved parent, grandparent and colleague to many. She and her brother Zac said the day was especially difficult because it happened on July Fourth as they were working at a fireworks stand that's been in the family for generations. As word of Tanya Burwick's disappearance spread, people from Blackwell, a small community of about 250 people, showed up to the stand that's run out of a trailer painted orange. "People came to our aid," Lindsey Burwick said. Police in San Angelo said more than 12,000 houses, barns and other buildings have been affected by the floods in the community of roughly 100,000 people. "We ask that the public continue to keep the Burwick family in their thoughts and prayers as they navigate this heartbreaking tragedy," the San Angelo Police Department said in a Facebook post. Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O'the Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country. Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O'the Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country. (Supplied) She was a camper and counsellor there herself in the 1970s before becoming a co-owner. By the 1980s, she was director of the camp in Hunt. "She was the heart of The Heart," the camp said in a statement. "She was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important." Since the camp was between sessions, no children were staying there when the floodwaters rose. The camp's facilities, directly in the path of the flood, were extensively damaged and access to the site remained difficult, according to camp officials. The camp has been in existence since the 1950s. Camp officials said Ragsdale would be remembered for her strength and wisdom. "We are heartbroken. But above all, we are grateful," the camp said. "Grateful to have known her, to have learned from her, and to carry her light forward." In a 2015 oral history for the Kerr County Historical Commission, Ragsdale, whose first name was Cynthie, but went by her middle name Jane, talked about how her father was also a camp director and how much she enjoyed her experiences. "I loved every minute of camp from the first time I stepped foot in one," she recalled. Videos of Ragsdale strumming a guitar and singing to campers during a recent session were posted in a memorial on the camp's Facebook page: "Life is good today. So keep singing 'til we meet, again." Eight-year-old Sarah Marsh from Alabama had been attending Camp Mystic in Texas, a longtime Christian girls camp in Hunt where several others were killed in the floods. Marsh was a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in suburban Birmingham. "This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community," Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch said in a Facebook post. "Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her." He said the community — where about 20,000 people reside — would rally behind the Marsh family as they grieved. Her parents declined an interview request on Sunday "as they mourn this unbearable loss," the girl's grandmother, Debbie Ford Marsh, told The Associated Press in an email. "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!" Marsh wrote on Facebook. "We love you so much, sweet Sarah!" She declined further comment. US Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama also noted the girl's tragic death. "We continue to pray for the victims' loved ones, the survivors, those who are still missing, and our brave first responders as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas," she said in a post on social media platform X. Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, had been staying alongside the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, according to the school. Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, had been staying alongside the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, according to the school. (Courtesy RJ Harber via CNN Newsource) Pastor Joshua J. Whitfield of St. Rita Catholic Community, which shares a campus with the school, said the girls' parents, Annie and RJ Harber, were staying in a different cabin and were safe. However, their grandparents were unaccounted for. Annie Harber has been a long time teacher at the school. "This tragedy has touched every corner of our hearts," the church said in a statement on Sunday. Blair, who was enrolled in advanced classes, was involved in numerous school activities from volleyball and basketball to speech and drama. Brooke was a rising sixth grader and a student athlete in volleyball and lacrosse, among other sports. She also participated in speech and drama, according to the church. Both were remembered for their kind hearts and warm personalities. "We will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them," Whitfield wrote in a Saturday letter to parishioners. "And we will surround Annie, RJ, and their extended family with the strength and support of our St. Rita community." The church held a special prayer service on Saturday afternoon and offered counselling. "Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief," Whitfield wrote. "May our faith, our love, and our St. Rita community be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead." USA Texas floods Weather World CONTACT US
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Complete 180: Rapper 360 credits God for return to stage
Matt Colwell has been to hell and back. The 38-year-old Aussie rapper, better known by his stage name 360, has surfed the euphoric highs and suffered the lonely lows of fame. Surging to the charts in 2008 with his album What You See Is What You Get, the Melbourne-based artist's 2011 follow-up Falling & Flying scored him ARIA recognition as 2012's Breakthrough Artist. Collaborating with rock star Daniel Johns, and even supporting Eminem on tour in Australia in 2014, 360's trajectory was the envy of many grass-roots rappers looking to break through. However, the title of his second album proved true, with the star succumbing to crippling substance abuse and mental health battles in the ensuing years. 'It was like the fame, the money, the sex, the status, the houses and all that were just these things that I was always working towards having more of,' he tells PLAY. 'Nothing was ever enough.' Controlling his vices in the early years as a 'functioning addict', the rap artist says it all began to unravel when he became a 'depressed mess' and had gained 35kg. 'It got to the point where if I kept going down the path I was on, I was 100 per cent going to die,' he says. 360. Credit: Michelle Grace Hunder 'I spoke to my parents and just said, 'look, I've got to go to rehab'. And that was five years ago.' The star's journey to redemption has been built on a holy trinity of spiritual awakening, prioritising mental health, and regaining a hardness to his 6'4' frame as a former basketball player. However, the born-again Christian has most publicly credited God for finding himself again. But the irony that he once undermined religion in his music is not lost. 'I openly mocked Jesus Christ,' he admits. 'There's a number of my songs where I talk about God in quite a harsh way.' Now, instead of dropping the Lord's name in vain, the reformed rapper proudly carries his faith in the form of a cross around his neck. Unfortunately, 360's complete 180 from party boy to church-goer was a difficult pill for some fans to swallow. 'I lost thousands of followers (on social media) within the first week of sharing about it,' he says. 'I was kind of expecting it, but I also wasn't expecting the level of support that I was going to get. I thought I was going to lose everyone, but the support has been incredible.' With 360's upcoming fifth album Out Of The Blue set to drop on July 11, his early release Save My Soul rediscovers a knack for melding hard-hitting verses with catchy melodies. And weaved among the fast-moving bass line, he's owning up to his mistakes. Sodom & Gomorrah, another release, symbolises the rapper's emergence from the ashes of his formerly sinful lifestyle and the death of his destructive behaviours. But 360 doesn't label his new music 'Christian rap'; rather the same familiar style delivered by a man whose view of the world has shifted. And his joy in making music recaptured. As recently as only two or three years ago, he reveals, there was still very little hope his voice would return at all. 'I was living in grayscale, and suddenly this colour was coming back into my life,' Colwell says. 'A lot of this album was channelled from that place of feeling like I actually feel good, I actually feel happy, I feel healthy.' Embarking on his biggest national tour since the 2010s, 360 is set for a run of shows across the country this winter, ending at Perth's Metro City on August 2. 360. Credit: Michelle Grace Hunder Supported by Pez, a close mate from his teenage years who followed a similar path to hip-hop, 360's crowd might look a little different to 15 years ago. And this time, the once stalwart of Australia's rap scene takes his position as a role model seriously. Because he's far more aware how literally his message can be received. 'I had someone reach out to me and go, 'Man, I'm so happy you've become Christian. When I was 15, me and my mates used to listen to your music and you're the reason we started doing drugs',' he says. 'When I heard that, I was just like, 'brother, I do not like that'.' Tackling his issues head on, and sharing them with those who might also be struggling, Colwell now hopes he can be a vessel for good. 'I think the values that I have now and the person that I've become, I do think it's a lot more worthy of looking up to than the person that I was,' he says.
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
Royal prankster ‘gagged' after nurse tragedy, court told
An ex-radio host at the centre of an infamous royal prank call that ended in tragedy has claimed his former employer sought to gag him from speaking out about the incident before sacking him in a redundancy process that was 'not genuine.' Michael Christian launched Federal Court proceedings last week against Southern Cross Austereo, including for alleged contraventions of the Fair Work Act and whistleblower protections, after his role was made redundant in February. He had been employed by the network for more than 20 years. Christian alleges he was directed by Austereo to participate in the disastrous hoax with his co-host, Mel Greig, on December 4, 2012, which marked his second day in his then new role as a presenter of the Hot 30 Countdown on Sydney's 2Day FM. During the stunt, the presenters impersonated the then Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth in a call to a London hospital where the then Duchess of Cambridge, now the Princess of Wales, had been admitted for severe morning sickness. The call, aired hours later, unexpectedly resulted in the pair eliciting private medical information about the Duchess. The deception triggered international outrage after Jacintha Saldanha, one of the nurses who was tricked, died by suicide. The presenters' concerns about the prank and broadcasting the call were dismissed, Christian's lawyers say. They allege the network 'did not immediately take public accountability' after Saldanha's death but left the co-hosts 'exposed to relentless public vitriol, harassment and abuse, including death threats' as 'convenient fall guys and scapegoats'. Christian's role was terminated on February 28 this year on the grounds of a purported redundancy, his lawyers say in the court documents released on Wednesday.
