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Texas lieutenant governor sees ‘heroism everywhere’ as catastrophic flooding takes lives
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick details heroic survival stories out of Camp Mystic after catastrophic flooding hit Texas on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’
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Officials on Saturday confirmed at least 43 people are dead and more than 27 young girls remain missing after a devastating flood swept through Kerr County, Texas.
Five young girls who were staying at Camp Mystic, an all-girls private Christian retreat in Hunt, Texas, have been confirmed dead.
Anne Hunt confirmed to Fox News Digital that her daughter, Janie, was one of the campers killed in the flood. A Voice for the Voiceless, a nonprofit that advocates for “the missing, voiceless and crime victims,” identified Renee Smajstrla as another deceased camper.
Lila Bonner, left, and Eloise Peck were the most recent confirmed Camp Mystic deaths in central Texas. They were from Highland Park, a city near Dallas. (Photo courtesy of Missy Peck)
Family members identified best friends Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck as the most recent cabinmates found dead, according to a report from FOX 4 Dallas. They had both recently finished second grade at Bradfield Elementary.
A fifth camper has been confirmed to be deceased. However, her family asked that her name not be released.
Janie Hunt was killed when a flood ripped through Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, Friday. (Anne Hunt)
Of the 43 people killed in Kerr County, officials said at least 28 were adults and 15 were children.
Five of the adults remain unidentified, and three of the children remain unidentified, authorities said.
As of Saturday, Kerr County officials confirmed 27 campers remain missing. There were 750 attendees at the camp when the flood hit.
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A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, a riverside summer camp in Texas. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A plush toy sits on the ground outside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view of Camp Mystic after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view of a damaged building at Camp Mystic, the site of where nearly 30 girls went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view of a damaged building at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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A damaged vehicle at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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People look on as law enforcement and volunteers continue to search for missing people near Camp Mystic on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Suitcases and furniture are seen outside of a cabin at Camp Mystic on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Towels and clothing hang on a clothesline outside of a cabin at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said “nobody saw this coming,” and it broke his heart seeing “many of the body bags” at local funeral homes.
One of the deaths has been confirmed as Heart O’ the Hills camp director and co-owner Jane Ragsdale.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, shared photos Saturday of the damage to Heart O’ the Hills, taken during a helicopter tour following the flood.
Buildings and trees appeared to be either completely washed away, or reduced to rubble.
Aerial footage of Heart O’ the Hills in Kerr County, Texas after the deadly flood. (Rep. Chip Roy via X)
No children were staying at the nearby camp during the flood, as it was between sessions, according to a statement posted on the Heart O’ the Hills website.
“We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane’s death,” the camp wrote. “She embodied the spirit of Heart O’ the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Gov. Greg Abbott discuss ongoing efforts amid recent flooding along the Guadalupe River during a news conference in Ingram, Texas, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
President Donald Trump posted about the tragedy on Truth Social on Saturday, confirming that the administration was working with state and local officials to respond to the tragedy.
“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
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Families have lined up at reunification centers hoping to see their loved ones. According to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, Ingram Elementary School in Ingram, Texas, and The Arcadia Live Theater in Kerrville, Texas, are being used as reunification centers.
Families line up at a reunification center after flash flooding hit the area, Friday, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Camp Mystic reportedly told parents that if they had not been contacted directly it meant that their child was accounted for.
Ellen Toranzo told Fox News Digital that her daughter, Greta Toranzo, is one of the campers who went missing during the flood. Carrie Hanna also confirmed to Fox News Digital that her daughter, Hadley, is unaccounted for.
Both girls remain missing, as of Saturday afternoon.
Split of Hadley Hanna and Greta Toranzo, who remain missing after floods in Kerr County, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Carrie Hanna and Ellen Toranzo)
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Elinor Lester, 13, told the Associated Press she was evacuated with her cabinmates by helicopter after wading through floodwaters. Lester also said that the “camp was completely destroyed” in the disastrous flood. The outlet noted that Lester was housed on higher ground at the camp, known as Senior Hill. Younger campers, who can begin attending at age 8, are housed along the riverbanks and were the first to flood, according to the Associated Press.
The National Guard was deployed in Texas to respond after heavy rain on Friday morning caused the Guadalupe River to rise nearly 30 feet in 45 minutes.
Families are reunited at a reunification center after flash flooding hit the area, Friday, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later said that members of the U.S. Coast Guard deployed to assist in evacuations saved or assisted in saving 223 lives.
As of Saturday morning, more than 850 uninjured people and eight injured people had been evacuated, including 167 by helicopter, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.
Local authorities cleared more than 300 feet on either side of the Guadalupe River, from one mile north of Camp Mystic up through Hunt and Ingram.
Additional fixed-wing aircraft from the Coast Guard have been requested, Noem said during a news conference Saturday afternoon.
Boerne Search and Rescue teams navigate upstream in an inflatable boat on the flooded Guadalupe River Friday in Comfort, Texas. (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
Texas deployed more than 1,300 state responders and over 800 vehicles and equipment assets, according to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.
The governor also signed a federal disaster declaration and declared an emergency for 15 counties.
“This is a time when we, as a state, need God more than ever,” Abbott wrote in a statement. “The one thing I hear the most are the prayers that are being sent for those who are in harm’s way.”
Authorities pledged to search until every single missing person is found.
In Travis County, which is about three hours away from Kerr County, four people died in the floods, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital on Saturday night.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducts rescue operations along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. (Eric Vryn/Getty Images)
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“Our nation’s heart breaks for the victims in Texas and their families. Just an incomprehensible tragedy,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. “I hope everyone affected knows they’re in the prayers of my family, and of millions of Americans.”
The vice president, a devout Catholic, also included the Eternal Rest Prayer in his post.
More than 600 Kerrville Public Utility Board customers are without power as of 6 p.m. local time Saturday.
The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging those with missing loved ones to call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 for information.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.