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New York Post
32 minutes ago
- New York Post
Young Texas camp survivor describes harrowing moment she prepared for worst during deadly flood
A young camper who was rescued from Camp Mystic described the harrowing ordeal as catastrophic floods pummeled Central Texas. 'We went to bed thinking it was just a normal thunderstorm. One minute you see lightning strike next to your cabin, and next to you, you hear water's coming up,' 16-year-old Callie McAlary described on 'Fox Report.' 'And you have kids running just trying to get to other cabins, trying to get to safety. And luckily, my cabin was one of the few cabins that did not get water, but the cabins in front of us did get some water,' McAlary continued. McAlary's mother, Tara Bradburn, also reflected on the tragic flooding, saying that despite living in Virginia now, the camp had been a huge part of their lives as McAlary had been attending the camp since she was in second grade. 'We chose this camp. I was a Texan. It was important to me that my child have Texas roots,' Bradburn shared. 5 Callie McAlary was rescued from Camp Mystic. Fox News 'Living in Virginia, we brought her to Camp Mystic and turned her over to the Dick and Tweedy Eastland family and Camp Mystics and their staff because we knew they would love on our child. They would help her grow in her faith and live the Mystic ideals of being a better person and bringing out the best in her,' Bradburn continued. 'We are so devastated by what has happened, but truly grateful and thankful to the Eastland family for all they have done and all they've given as a family to save the children that they could.' Bradburn weighed in on how devastating that evening was for her daughter and how fast everything turned into a nightmare. 'Even up on Senior Hill, I think that conveys to you how fast the water came up and how high it came and how it was a 100-year historic flash flood. We had never seen anything like this. And I cannot say enough about what these young counselors did to calm these girls and to ensure their safety,' Bradburn said. 5 McAlary (back left) described the harrowing ordeal as catastrophic floods pummeled Central Texas. Tara Bradburn McAlary continued to describe the night and the moment she realized something was terribly wrong. 'We heard one second, it was really bad thunder. I woke up to a big giant sound of thunder and lightning striking,' McAlary recalled. 'We heard one of the campers run in and say, 'hey, our cabin is flooding.'I knew some girls slept on trunks that night, some girls had to share beds, some girls slept on floors because they couldn't go back to their cabin because it was so flooded in three cabins.' 5 Officials search on the grounds of Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area Sunday, July 6, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. AP In an effort to protect herself and prepare for the worst-case scenario, McAlary put a name tag on her body in the middle of the night. 'I put on my name tag because I was scared that if water was coming out next to other cabins that our cabin might be next. And I just put it on just for safekeeping… in my head I was saying, 'if something does happen, and I do get swept away, at least I'll have my name on my body,'' McAlary explained. Bradburn shared that both her and her husband had worked for the Department of Defense and each spent 'many times in war zones on behalf of this nation,' and spoken to McAlary 'more times than she could count' about staying safe in any environment. 'This was not an environment we had ever thought we would have to prepare her for. That comment to me as a parent when she got off that helicopter and finally came into my arms and I saw this name tag on her, and it was the camp name tag she was issued on the day she arrived. It resonated with me that somewhere those little lessons that we gave her as parents years ago and throughout her life resonated with her in that moment,' Bradburn said. 5 In an effort to protect herself and prepare for the worst-case scenario, McAlary put a name tag on her body in the middle of the night. Tara Bradburn 5 A search dog looks through a dumpster at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on July 5, 2025. REUTERS Despite her daughter being alive and safe, Bradburn said they are devastated for so many families that are missing loved ones. 'There are no answers. This is a lot emotionally for anyone. And it's something as parents, we owe our child to try to be strong for her and to ensure that she also has the help she needs moving forward,' Bradburn said. McAlary said she is now holding on to hope that the rest of her friends and all those who are missing are found soon. 'I really hope those kids that are missing are found. I knew a lot of those kids and a lot of those kids the night before hugged me before we all went to bed. And it's hard to think about that one minute they were hugging me and the next minute they could be gone.'
News24
34 minutes ago
- News24
‘Horrible thing that took place': 78 killed, including 28 children, as major flooding hits Texas
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continued and fears of more flooding prompted evacuations of volunteer responders. Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicentre of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and confirmed 41 were missing. US President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added. 'It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,' he told reporters as he left New Jersey. Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp where 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor were still missing, according to Leitha. 'It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through,' said Abbott, who noted he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing. The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday. Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. 'You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow,' said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday. The flash flooding in Central Texas is absolutely heartbreaking. Michelle and I are praying for everyone who has lost a loved one or is waiting for news — especially the parents. And we're grateful to the first responders and rescue teams working around the clock to help. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 6, 2025 Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 380mm of rain across the region, about 140km northwest of San Antonio. Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of 'an additional wall of water' flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday's rains. 'We're evacuating parts of the river right now because we are worried about another wall of river coming down in those areas,' he said, referencing volunteers from outside the area seeking to help locate Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the National Weather Service under Trump's oversight. 'That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup,' he said referencing his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe. Donald Trump He declined to answer a question about FEMA, saying only: 'They're busy working, so we'll leave it at that.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA and NOAA, said a 'moderate' flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic US congressman from Texas, told CNN's State of the Union programme that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. 'When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel ... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy,' Castro said. Katharine Somerville, a counsellor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night. 'Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y'all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen,' Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 9m. A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least 1.83m from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Photos show the aftermath of the flooding in central Texas
This photo gallery, curated by AP photo editors, features photos of the aftermath of flooding in central Texas.
