Latest news with #LorenaGuillen
The Hill
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Texas flooding survivor: ‘People need to see' devastation firsthand
(NewsNation) — As search and recovery efforts continue across central Texas, residents are still digging through the catastrophic wreckage left behind by deadly flash floods over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Lorena Guillen, owner of Blue Oak RV Park, told 'NewsNation Live' on Friday that she's overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support, but says more people need to see the aftermath firsthand. 'People need to see this, and you guys are the only ones sharing that information,' she said. The floods have claimed at least 120 lives, with more than 160 people still missing. Guillen said her RV park lost a family of four. The parents have been found, but their two children are still unaccounted for. As she and her husband prepare to rebuild, Guillen said they plan to improve safety measures at the park, including moving units away from the water. 'After losing that family, we're not going to allow anyone to stay that close to the water,' she said. 'So, how can we build it better?' President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are expected to visit the region Friday, joining Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for a firsthand look at the damage. 'We're praying that once he sees the devastation, he's going to write authorities to start helping us,' Guillen said. 'We have employees, we have bills to pay, they're due, and hopefully he sees that.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Death Toll Rises in Texas Floods as Authorities Piece Together What Went Wrong
Historic flooding has brought the death toll in Texas to 95 people. First responders work to find missing people in the debris and waterways, covering over 60 miles. "I need to tell my community and those families who are waiting, this will be a rough week. Primary search continues, and we remain hopeful — every foot, every mile, every bend of the river," said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. Kerr County saw 75 people dead, 27 of those being children. Many children were from an all-girls private summer camp near the Guadalupe River, Camp Mystic. As of Monday, 10 campers are still missing, along with one camp counselor. In a statement on its website, Camp Mystic officials wrote, "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly." Travis, Burnet, Tom Green, Kendall and Williamson Counties reported at least 20 people dead after the storms. The catastrophic flash flooding in central Texas matches only that of the deadly flooding after Hurricane Helene. These are the two deadliest U.S. disasters driven by rainfall since 1976. 'Hearing the screams because you couldn't see anything, it was pitch black, but hearing people's screams, kids screaming, asking for help, cars were floating away with the lights on. You could see the lights and you can hear honking. And there was like not one or two, but there were dozens of vehicles just floating away and I was just, it was just too much," said Lorena Guillen, the owner of a local restaurant. Death Toll Rises in Texas Floods as Authorities Piece Together What Went Wrong first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 8, 2025
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Owner of Texas RV park witnessed family being swept away in floods
Lorena Guillen, owner of Oaks RV Park in Kerrville, Texas, joined "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" to discuss witnessing one family being swept away by the floods that hit central Texas on Friday morning. Her efforts helped save all but one family staying in their RV park. #Texas #Floods #Kerrville
Fox News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Fox News
Texas RV park owner banged on doors as water rose, family was swept away
The owner of a Texas Hill Country RV park and restaurant is recounting her experience of flooding that left more than 100 people dead. Lorena Guillen, who owns Blue Oak RV Park and Howdy's Bar and Grill in Kerrville, said the rain started to come down around 1 a.m. By 2:30 a.m., she "went to check the water levels of the river." At that point, she said, it looked "fine." She called the sheriff's office, which had no information at that point, so she went to sleep – only to be awoken between 3:30 and 4 a.m. by "lights of the rescuers." "It was so fast," Guillen told Fox News Digital. "It was so crazy, and I was going from RV to RV, banging on doors, getting everybody out." "One of my residents had called 911 because they could hear people screaming," she recalled. "But this is the middle of the night, it's pitch black." "My husband got down all the way down to his waist in water just trying to rescue the people, and he was asking the guy 'please throw me your baby' and few seconds later, they got swept away," she continued. The father Guillen was speaking about has been identified as John Burgess of Liberty, Texas, according to KWTX. His wife and two sons have not yet been found, but his daughter, who was staying at a nearby camp, is reportedly safe. "It was extremely difficult," Guillen recounted. "And you can see cars floating away with the lights on and honking. You could hear a lot of honking. And we also saw the cabins from next door just smashing against the trees." Guillen said her restaurant had some mud inside, but her employees quickly helped her clean it out and everyone came together to help recovery efforts.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Stricken Texas floods survivor recalls seeing people 'die' in worst way... as new photos of Camp Mystic emerge: Live updates
A Texas flood survivor has recalled the blood-curdling screams of families trapped in RVs, pounding on windows as raging floodwaters swept them away. Lorena Guillen, owner of the Blue Oak RV Park, went door-to-door early Friday morning to wake her residents as the water rapidly started rising foot-by-foot. But as she tried to help her community, Guillen saw cars float past her families still inside desperately 'screaming' for help and 'banging against the window'. Rescuers in inflatable motorboats searched Monday for bodies near Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp where 27 campers and counselors died after being swept away by floodwaters. Haunting photos captured inside the cabins show how the century-old camp that thousands of women have once called home now resembles a scene from a horror disaster film. As of Tuesday morning, the flash floods have consumed the lives of at least 104 people, with authorities warning the death toll is almost certainly going to continue to rise. The search for missing people continues today, but efforts are now considered recovery missions. Haunting photos of Camp Mystic devastation emerge after camp confirms 27 are dead Haunting new photos captured inside Camp Mystic show how an all-girls Christian summer camp now resembles a scene from a horror disaster film. Cabin walls were completely ripped off from the storm, spewing debris and mud inside them. Furniture is seen lying on the floor across damaged rooms. Twenty-seven Camp Mystic campers and counselors died after being swept away by raging floodwaters early Friday morning. 11:54 Survivor recalls moment RV park residents were swept away by raging Texas floods Lorena Guillen, owner of the Blue Oak RV Park in Ingram, went door-to-door in the early hours of Friday morning to wake her residents as the Guadalupe River rapidly started rising foot-by-foot. But as Guillen was leading evacuation efforts in her small community, she saw cars float past her with families stuck inside. 'It was pitch black, so all you could see was the lights floating and people screaming and banging against the window and honking,' she told The Wall Street Journal. She said the storm came essentially out of nowhere and arrived so quickly that water levels were up 10 feet in just one hour. The businesswoman claims she called the Kerr County Sheriff's department around 2am to ask if she needed to evacuate, but was told they had no information. By 3.30am everyone at Blue Oak was forcibly leaving their homes. She told WSJ: 'It was just raining, you know, like nothing. We did have a warning, a flash flood warning, but this…is very, very normal for the Hill Country.' All 33 RVs in her community were eventually washed away by the deadly storm. Guillen revealed in previous interview with WOAI-TV that all of her residents except one family-of-five made it out of the floods safely.
