Over the July 4 weekend, catastrophic flash floods struck Kerr County, Texas, after a month’s worth of rain fell in just hours. The Guadalupe River surged to 26 feet, sweeping away homes, vehicles, and campsites. A state of emergency was declared, and more than 100 people are confirmed dead, with dozens still missing.
Among the victims were sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, aged 13 and 11, who were staying with their grandparents along the river. Their aunt, Jennifer Harber, wrote: “My brother and his wife identified the bodies… about 12 hours after the flood.” The girls were found 15 miles away, their hands “locked together.”
Their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber, remain missing. The sisters’ school, St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas, said, “Even in their last moments, they held tightly to each other.”
Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls, was heavily impacted. At least 20 children from the camp are missing. “They could be out of communication,” said Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
One father searching for his missing daughter found the body of a young boy, saying: “I thought it was a mannequin. It was a little boy… and he was dead.”
Rescue operations continue across the region.