CNN anchor who attended Camp Mystic as a kid ‘overwhelmed with emotion' as she returns to cover deadly Texas floods
Pamela Brown, CNN's chief investigative correspondent, shared her fond memories of the camp that was ravaged by Friday's floods during a live broadcast in an emotional off-the-cuff moment.
3 CNN correspondent reflected on her fond memories as a little girl when she was a camper at Camp Mystic.
CNN
'It's surreal coming back here 30 years later. I was a 10-year old little camper here filled with so much hope and joy,' Brown said during a discussion with an anchor. 'I remember the excitement and anticipation of coming to Camp Mystic.'
She explained how hard it was to wrap her head around how a river that is the source of such fond memories for her and other former campers could be the source of so much unspeakable tragedy.
'It's such a magical place, now all these girls – these sweet young campers – who had to evacuate and their families,' she said. 'So much innocence has now been lost.'
Brown, along with the press corps from around the country and the world, have descended upon Texas Hill Country after a once-in-a-generation catastrophic flood devastated the area Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, including Camp Mystic, an historic all-girl Christian camp that catered to Texas's elite.
3 CNN correspondent Pamela Brown said that with the devastation caused by the flooding so much innocence has been lost.
Pamela Brown/Instagram
At least five girls from the camp have been confirmed dead — all ages 8 and 9 — and 10 others are still missing.
The death toll from Friday morning's calamitous flooding rose to at least 80 across Texas on Sunday evening, with 68 of the deaths in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic's two campuses once stood.
'For me coming back I'm overwhelmed with emotion and I'm overwhelmed with memories,' Brown said. 'I can't get over looking at those cabins right next to the Guadalupe River, that river was the source of so much joy.'
She and her fellow campers loved to play games in the river.
'There was this thing called The Blob, which was like this inflated balloon type thing that we would jump on and then the person at the end would jump off into the water and it was so much fun,' she reminisced.
3 CNN correspondent Pamela Brown recounted how she and her fellow campers would look for dinosaur fossils in the Guadalupe River.
Pamela Brown/Instagram
Brown recounted how she and her fellow campers spent much of their time frolicking in the river, and even hunted for dinosaur fossils.
'Thats what we loved. And to think that that same river is the source of this devastation,' she added.
Brown is a multi award-winning CNN anchor and chief investigative correspondent, who currently anchors The Situation Room, according to her bio on the CNN website.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
34 minutes ago
- The Hill
What we know about victims of devastating Texas floods
(AP/KXAN) — A beloved director of Texas summer camp for girls. An Alabama elementary student away from home. A woman found dead after an intensive search. These are a few of the dozens of victims lost in devastating flooding in Texas. The flooding in central Texas originated from the fast-moving waters on the Guadalupe River on Friday, killing more than 70 people, including 15 children. Authorities say search and rescue efforts are still underway for dozens missing from a summer camp for girls. Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O'the Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country. She was a camper and counselor 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. As of Sunday, afternoon, 11 children were still missing. 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 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. U.S. 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. The last time Tanya Burwick's family heard from her was a frantic phone call about the flood waters as she headed to work at a Walmart early 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 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. Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, both students at St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, had been staying along the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away, according to the school. 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 longtime teacher at the school. Blair was headed into eighth grade while Brooke was a rising sixth grader. '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 Saturday afternoon and offered counseling. '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.' The family of camper Lila Bonner confirmed to Nexstar's KXAN on Saturday that she was among those killed in the flooding. In a statement, her family said, 'We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss.' Austinite Michael McCown posted on Instagram that his daughter, Linnie, did not survive the flood at Mystic Camp. 'It's with the heaviest of hearts we must share that our sweet little Linnie is with the Lord in heaven,' McCown said on Instagram. 'She filled our hearts with so much joy we cannot begin to explain.' KXAN's Kelly Wiley and Sally Hernandez contributed to this report.
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
CNN anchor who attended Camp Mystic as a kid ‘overwhelmed with emotion' as she returns to cover deadly Texas floods
A CNN reporter shared on air how 'surreal' it has been for her to cover the devastation at a 'magical place' like Camp Mystic after attending the Texas camp herself as a young girl. Pamela Brown, CNN's chief investigative correspondent, shared her fond memories of the camp that was ravaged by Friday's floods during a live broadcast in an emotional off-the-cuff moment. 3 CNN correspondent reflected on her fond memories as a little girl when she was a camper at Camp Mystic. CNN 'It's surreal coming back here 30 years later. I was a 10-year old little camper here filled with so much hope and joy,' Brown said during a discussion with an anchor. 'I remember the excitement and anticipation of coming to Camp Mystic.' She explained how hard it was to wrap her head around how a river that is the source of such fond memories for her and other former campers could be the source of so much unspeakable tragedy. 'It's such a magical place, now all these girls – these sweet young campers – who had to evacuate and their families,' she said. 'So much innocence has now been lost.' Brown, along with the press corps from around the country and the world, have descended upon Texas Hill Country after a once-in-a-generation catastrophic flood devastated the area Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, including Camp Mystic, an historic all-girl Christian camp that catered to Texas's elite. 3 CNN correspondent Pamela Brown said that with the devastation caused by the flooding so much innocence has been lost. Pamela Brown/Instagram At least five girls from the camp have been confirmed dead — all ages 8 and 9 — and 10 others are still missing. The death toll from Friday morning's calamitous flooding rose to at least 80 across Texas on Sunday evening, with 68 of the deaths in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic's two campuses once stood. 'For me coming back I'm overwhelmed with emotion and I'm overwhelmed with memories,' Brown said. 'I can't get over looking at those cabins right next to the Guadalupe River, that river was the source of so much joy.' She and her fellow campers loved to play games in the river. 'There was this thing called The Blob, which was like this inflated balloon type thing that we would jump on and then the person at the end would jump off into the water and it was so much fun,' she reminisced. 3 CNN correspondent Pamela Brown recounted how she and her fellow campers would look for dinosaur fossils in the Guadalupe River. Pamela Brown/Instagram Brown recounted how she and her fellow campers spent much of their time frolicking in the river, and even hunted for dinosaur fossils. 'Thats what we loved. And to think that that same river is the source of this devastation,' she added. Brown is a multi award-winning CNN anchor and chief investigative correspondent, who currently anchors The Situation Room, according to her bio on the CNN website.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
New Jersey native on first rescue mission with Coast Guard helps save 165 Texas flood victims: ‘American hero'
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is already being hailed as an 'American hero' after his very first mission — helping to save the lives of 165 Texas flash-flood victims. 'This is what it's all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job,' said Scott Ruskan, 26, a New Jersey native and former KPMG accountant, to The Post after his work in central Texas. 'This is why we take those risks all time. This is why like Coast Guard men and women, are risking their lives every day,' said Petty Officer Ruskan — who was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, the Christian girls' summer camp that saw some of the worst of the flooding. Advertisement 10 US Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan helped save 165 people from the Texas flash-floods this week. Facebook Raised in Oxford, NJ, Ruskan enlisted in the US Coast Guard in 2021, and after completing basic training, went to Aviation Survival Technician school in Petaluma, Calif., before being stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had been on call since November after completing all of his training, familiarizing himself with the Coast Guard's iconic MH-65 helicopter and enrolling in additional rescue swimming classes as he waited to be called into action. Advertisement That fateful call came on the Fourth of July as a massive summer rainstorm led to catastrophic flash flooding in the Lone Star State that has so far claimed at least 80 lives. Bryan Winchell, a helicopter search and rescue technician with Texas Task Force 1 — a joint partnership between the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service — called the Coast Guard looking to get boots on the ground and in the air for an emergency rapid response near central Texas. 'That's a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we're a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that's kind of what we do,' Ruskan said. 10 Ruskan with his family after passing rescue swimmer school last year. Instagram/Julie Ruskan Advertisement 10 The rescues at Campy Mystic were Ruskan's first mission. Instagram/Julie Ruskan By 7 a.m. Friday, crews loaded into Blackhawk 60 and Coast Guard MH-65 choppers and took to the skies. It was 'literally the best aircrew we could possibly have,' Ruskan said. Follow The Post's coverage on the deadly Texas flooding Advertisement Their destination was Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer camp just off the banks of the Guadalupe River, which saw some of the worst of the flooding. Five campers ages 8 and 9 have been confirmed dead, with a counselor and 11 more girls still missing, officials said. 10 A Coast Guard crew participating in rescue missions near Kerrville, Texas with a MH-65 helicopter. USCG Heartland When the crew arrived, they were racing against sundown to rescue as many stranded flood victims as possible. All roads were impassable, and the currents were too strong for any boats to get in, leaving helicopter evacuation as the only hope for the nearly 200 survivors. As the crews evaluated the operational logistics, their goal was to move as many people out of harm's way as possible, but they were bound by the weight limits of the helicopters. During a briefing, they decided to leave Ruskan on the ground to triage the rescue mission. 'I was like, sweet, sounds great, I'll be more helpful on the ground than I will be in the air right now, so that's kind of what we went with,' he said. 10 An aerial view of the flooding from the Guadalupe River near Kerville on July 5, 2025. Po3 Cheyenne Basurto/UPI/Shutterstock 10 A helicopter flying over Camp Mystic to search for missing flood victims on July 6, 2025. Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The rescuers loaded the first four to five survivors into the MH-65, and Ruskan set out to take a closer look at the scene of the camp, which was on higher ground than the flood-ravaged surrounding areas, where trees were snapped like twigs and twisted metal of cars littered the muddy ground. While on the ground, Ruskan tended to terrified and injured campers, many of them shoeless and still wearing pajamas from their mad dash out of their bunks in the middle of the night. In between comforting the 'cold, wet and miserable' survivors, both kids and adults, Ruskan directed Army Blackhawk 60s and MH-65s to pockets of survivors to begin painstakingly bringing them to safety. 10 Two girls getting rescued from the floodwaters in Texas by a helicopter. via GageGouldingTV Advertisement 'My main job was triaging, and then my second job I kind of picked up was just trying to comfort these kids and the family members and counselors,' Ruskan said. 'I mean this is like, probably the worst day of their life. They're in a terrible situation, they have friends and family unaccounted for, missing, unknown status, and they're looking to me and all the rescuers for guidance and comfort.' He said one of the hardest parts was having crying grown adults coming to him for help finding missing loved ones. 10 A search crew on the grounds of Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025. AP Photo/Julio Cortez Advertisement 10 A cabin destroyed by flooding at Camp Mystic. REUTERS 'It's like, 'Hey, I can't help you guys locate these people, but I can get you guys out of here right now if we just try to remain calm,' and just trying to comfort everyone as best I could is kind of what I was doing,' he said. Over the next several hours, Ruskan spearheaded a high-risk rescue mission under the worst possible environmental conditions, which in the end saw 165 brought to safety. 'So we basically got the majority of the people out of Camp Mystic, which is awesome. And I feel like we did a lot of good that day, but obviously it's still super sad,' he said. 'There's still a lot of people missing and unaccounted for, so the mission's not over yet. It's not over for us. Advertisement 10 Ruskan celebrating with his sister after completing rescue swimming school. Instagram/Julie Ruskan 'We're back home and stuff, but there's still so many crews, Coast Guard, Department of Public Safety, Air National Guard and those Task Force 1 guys, as well as other local agencies. They're still out there,' Ruskan said, eager to share the credit for him and his crew's heroics with the other agencies involved in the rescue. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trumpeted the successful rescue mission on social media, identifying Ruskan by name and calling him an 'American hero' whose 'selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the Coast Guard.' But Ruskan's reaction to her glowing praise was to share the glory with his fellow guardsmen. 'Honestly, I'm mostly just a dude. I'm just doing a job. This is what I signed up for, and I think that any single Coast Guard rescue swimmer or any single Coast Guard pilot, flight mechanic, whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation,' he said. 'That's what we were asked to do and we're gonna do it. Any one of us, if anyone else was on duty that day, they would have done the same thing as us. We just happened to be the crew that got the case.'
