Latest news with #DickEastland
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congressman reunited with daughters after Camp Mystic flooding
U.S. Rep. August Pfluger's two daughters, who attended Camp Mystic, have been reunited with the family, according to his July 5 Facebook post. Camp Mystic, a popular all-girls camp near Kerrville has been the center of national attention after historic rainfall saw the Guadalupe River, where the camp is located, surge 26 feet in under an hour. Pfluger of the 11th Congressional District posted that his two daughters, Caroline and Juliana, were evacuated from the camp and returned to him, his wife Camille and their other daughter, Vivian. 'The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families, and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors,' the Republican from San Angelo said. Pfluger later posted about Camp Mystic's director, Richard "Dick" Eastland, who lost his life saving campers from the surging flood. 'Camp Mystic's Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers," Pfluger wrote. "For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you.' Pfluger thanked first responders who traveled to help in the flood aftermath, naming the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the White House, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety and local officials who 'have all been responsive and helpful.' On Sunday, Pfluger posted on Facebook that he 'toured the hard-hit part of the San Angelo community' with Tom Green County Judge Lane Carter and San Angelo Mayor Tom Thompson. 'The impact of the flood is devastating — thousands have been affected. We're here to support our neighbors and are actively advocating for critical resources,' Pfluger said. More: Waking up to disaster: How San Angelo is weathering a flood. What happened and what now? More: Another calamity: The closest forerunner in San Angelo's history of floods was decades ago Paul Witwer covers high school sports and Angelo State University sports for The San Angelo Standard-Times. Reach him at sports@ Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @Paul_Witwer. This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Rep. August Pfluger reunited with daughters after Camp Mystic flooding
Herald Malaysia
5 days ago
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Faith communities hold memorial services for flood victims in Texas
The faith communities of the Texas Hill Country flood victims are rallying in support of the families with Masses, rosaries, and memorial services. Jul 18, 2025 Camp Mystic alumnae sing songs after a memorial service at the Church of St John the Divine in Houston on July 7, 2025. (CNA/Amira Abuzeid) By Amira AbuzeidThe faith communities of the Texas Hill Country flood victims are rallying in support of the families with Masses, rosaries, and memorial services. The Fourth of July flood disaster near the central Texas town of Kerrville, where the Guadalupe River rose 35 feet in the early morning hours, has claimed over 100 lives so far, including more than 30 young children, with many more still unaccounted for. Especially affected was Camp Mystic, the 100-year-old Christian girls' camp in Hunt, Texas. At least 27 campers there perished, with several more, including a counsellor, not yet recovered. Over the last few days, schools and churches in Houston, where many current and former Camp Mystic families reside, have held prayer services and Masses for the victims and their families. A filled-to-overflowing memorial service for Camp Mystic families took place on July 7 at the Church of St John the Divine, an Episcopal church with deep ties to the camp. Buried there is Anne Eastland Spears, former Camp Mystic chairman of the board and mother of camp director Dick Eastland, who lost his life while rescuing campers from the flood. The ministers spoke of Jesus' love for his children, especially when they suffer. St. John's rector, Rev. Leigh Spruill, encouraged those in mourning to 'have hope. Keep talking to God … He may seem absent now, but he hears everything and he is present.' Youth ministry director Rev. Sutton Lowe referred to the Gospel story of Jairus and his little girl, who died and whom Jesus raised from the dead. 'When we die, Jesus is there to touch us and say 'arise,' and there is new life beyond our imagining,' he said. Rev. Libby Garfield told mourners that 'there is a path forward that is lined with the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.' After the service, Camp Mystic alumnae of all ages gathered on the lawn north of the church, forming a large circle in the grass and singing camp songs, many of which were Christian hymns. Ashley Emshoff, an alumna who spoke to CNA after the memorial, said that the camp forges bonds between campers that are lifelong and are 'as strong as family.' Mystic alumna and St John parishioner Alafair Hotze told CNA the Eastland family, who run the camp, became like family to generations of campers. Emshoff and Hotze said that many Camp Mystic alumnae are so eager for their daughters to become part of the Mystic community that they write to the camp as soon as they find out they are pregnant with girls. The Eastlands respond with a Camp Mystic infant onesie for their newborn and a letter of congratulations (along with a place on the waitlist). Hotze said that Dick Eastland's death, while tragic, aligned perfectly with the man he was: 'He taught us to be selfless and love as Christ loves,' Hotze said. 'He died as he had lived,' Hotze said: 'Giving his life for those he loved.' --CNA
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The Independent
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Camp leader may not have seen urgent alert before deadly Texas flood, family says
Uncertainty surrounds whether the leader of Camp Mystic received a critical National Weather Service warning before deadly floods struck Texas, a spokesman for the camp's operators has revealed. The alert had triggered an emergency warning to phones in the area. Richard "Dick" Eastland, the owner of the camp, had been monitoring weather conditions, taking action after more than two inches of rain fell along the Guadalupe River on July 4, according to Jeff Carr, a spokesman for the family and the camp. Eastland reportedly possessed a "home weather station" and was actively tracking the downpour. However, Carr has now clarified that the timeline regarding Eastland's awareness of a 1a.m. emergency alert is less clear than initially suggested. While he had previously indicated Eastland received flash flood alerts, Carr told The Associated Press that no one in the family or camp staff can now definitively say whether the camp owner saw the urgent warning, despite initial assumptions. 'It was assumed that just because he had a cellphone on and shortly after that alert, he was calling his family on the walkie-talkies saying, 'Hey, we got two inches in the last hour. We need to get the canoes up. We got things to do,' ' Carr said. The new account by the family comes as Camp Mystic staff has come under scrutiny of their actions, what preventive measures were taken and the camp's emergency plan leading up to a during the catastrophic flood that has killed at least 132 people. The flash-flood warning that the National Weather Service issued at 1:14 a.m. on July 4 for Kerr County triggered an emergency alerts to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones. It warned of 'a dangerous and life-threatening situation.' The weather service extended the warning at 3:35 a.m. and escalated it to flash-flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. Eastland died while trying to rescue girls and was found in his Tahoe that was swept away by the floodwaters, Carr said. Even without a storm, the cellphone coverage at Camp Mystic is spotty at best, so campers and staff turn on their Wi-Fi, Carr said. He called ridiculous criticism that Eastland waited too long before beginning to evacuate the campers, which he said appears to have begun sometime between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. 'Communication was a huge deficiency,' Carr said. "This community was hamstrung, nobody could communicate. The first responder, the first rescue personnel that showed up was a game warden.' According to Carr, Eastland and others started evacuating girls from cabins nearest the overflowing river and moved them to the camp's two-story recreation hall. Of the 10 cabins closest to the river, the recreation hall is the furthest at 865 feet (264 meters) with the closest cabin about 315 feet (96 meters), according to an Associated Press analysis of aerial imagery. To reach Senior Hill, which was on higher ground , they would have had to cross an overflowing creek, Carr said. At times the young campers were climbing hills in bare feet, he said. Some of the camp's buildings — which flooded — were in what the Federal Emergency Management Agency considered a 100-year flood plain. But in response to an appeal, FEMA in 2013 amended the county's flood map to remove 15 of the camp's buildings from the hazard area. Carr said there were 'legitimate' reasons for filing appeals and suggested that the maps may not always be accurate. Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims. Officials say 97 people in the Kerrville area may still be missing.
New York Times
6 days ago
- General
- New York Times
How Two Cabins Turned Into an Epicenter of Grief
The July 4 tragedy at Camp Mystic outside of Hunt, Texas, was concentrated at just two cabins where Mystic's youngest campers bunked and where a confluence of rising water from the river and a normally quiet creek swallowed the buildings before the girls could escape. Of the camp's 28 deaths, 15, including two teenage counselors, were at a cabin known as Bubble Inn, where no one survived, according to a new accounting of the fatalities by the camp. Eleven of the other girls who died had been in the cabin called Twins, a pair of adjoining buildings, said Jeff Carr, a Camp Mystic spokesman. Another fatality was the camp's longtime director, Dick Eastland, who died trying to rescue campers from Bubble Inn. Only one death at the camp — a camper from a nearby cabin called Jumble House — was unconnected to Bubble Inn or Twins. The new accounting underscores how focused the raging waters were at the nearly 100-year-old Christian retreat in the Texas Hill Country. The two beige stone cabins were enveloped by floodwaters that pushed in from opposite directions in the pre-dawn darkness, probably spawning eddies, trapping campers and confusing anyone who tried to save them from the swirling pools, experts say. A dozen Twins campers and their four counselors survived, Mr. Carr said. But most of the 8- and 9-year-olds in the two cabins, nestled among pecan and live oak trees, did not. Cypress Creek CAMP MYSTIC Twins Bubble Inn Cypress Creek CAMP MYSTIC Twins Bubble Inn Aerial imagery by Carter Johnston for The New York Times Guadalupe River Estimated flood depth 8+ feet Twins Bubble Inn CAMP MYSTIC Cypress Creek 4 to 8 ft. 2 to 4 ft. Guadalupe River Bubble Inn Estimated flood depth 8+ feet Twins Cypress Creek 4 to 8 ft. CAMP MYSTIC 2 to 4 ft. Sources: ICEYE flood analysis as of July 10; Aerial image via Vexcel Imaging Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas Longhorns player honors flood victims at SEC Media Days
Texas senior defensive back Michael Taaffe made a fashion statement during his appearance at SEC Media Days Tuesday in Atlanta. However, it wasn't for show or to make an impression for the cameras and the various media members in attendance. Taaffe did it to honor the victims of a recent national tragedy close to home. Advertisement Taaffe wore a necktie that was emblazoned with the initials of 27 people who passed away during a series of flash floods earlier this month at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Hunt, located in the Texas Hill Country. At the top of the list of initials on Taaffe's tie was the initials of Dick Eastland, the executive director of Camp Mystic, who passed away in the flood waters while attempting to rescue several of the campers. 'I want to shed light on what's going on in Texas to the SEC, to everybody around the country,' Taaffe said in an interview with Austin TV station KXAN. 'At the end of the day, football is important and it brings us joy, but this is more than football. Advertisement 'I wanted to show how important this is to us. We've been praying continuously for those families and the community, and I want to help them any way I can.' Taaffe, a native of Austin who played at Westlake High School, took part last week in a fundraiser at an Austin restaurant where he signed autographs and took photos with fans. He remarked, in another interview with KXAN, that he wanted to do his part to help those in need. 'It's super cool to see everybody here,' said Taaffe at the time. 'It brings tears of joy because it's so cool to see so many people show up. 'It's not about me. It's about the kids who were affected by this. The families.' Advertisement Taaffe continued his part to help those affected by the floods with his tie at SEC Media Days as one of the Longhorn players invited to the session. Texas, coming off back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances, begins what should be another highly anticipated season on Aug. 30 at Ohio State, a rematch of the Buckeyes' CFP semifinal win against the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. MORE SPORTS NEWS SEC Media Days: Arch Manning ready for role as college football's top celebrity QB in 2025 Texas coach introduced at SEC Media Days with playing of rival school's fight song What Auburn and former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold said about his return to Oklahoma Advertisement Former SEC head coach and offensive guru finds new role with Louisiana college program Nation's longest actively tenured athletic director at one school to announce his retirement Successful Oklahoma high school football coach receives honor from his college alma mater Bixby (Oklahoma) standout continues family tradition with commitment to Oklahoma State Former Baylor, BYU quarterback lands coaching position at Arkansas high school Instant replay approved for Missouri high school football championship games Former Oklahoma QB commit now commits to Florida State Oklahoma high school football defensive standout commits to New Mexico Advertisement Top Texas '26 tight end prospect decides to stay close to home, commits to TCU Texas Tech football lands commitment from East Texas 4-star 2026 cornerback Standout tailback from East Texas decides to stay in-state after making college commitment ESPN's "SportsCenter" program to be on location at Texas high school football scrimmage Who made the covers of popular Texas football preseason magazine? Texas UIL football championship games to be broadcast for free via a new broadcast agreement
