Before the Waters Came: Camp Mystic Flood Tragedy Leaves Texas in Mourning
Kerr County, Texas – July 9, 2025 — It was a picture-perfect summer day at Camp Mystic, a beloved Christian camp nestled along the Guadalupe River. Girls splashed in the water, laughter echoed through the cypress trees, and cameras captured sun-soaked memories. But behind the scenes, a quiet urgency was building—rumors of rising water, distant helicopters, and whispered instructions that would signal a looming catastrophe.
Just days later, that idyllic peace would be shattered by one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent Texas memory.
A Photo Before the Storm
A newly surfaced photograph—now circulating widely on social media—shows a group of girls from the “Bubble Inn” cabin, dressed in white and smiling in the sunlight. None could have known that just five days later, the camp would be ravaged by flash floods, and that some of those smiling faces would never return home.
As of July 6, the Texas flood death toll has climbed to 82, with dozens still missing. Camp Mystic, home to nearly 750 girls at the time, was among the hardest-hit sites.
On July 7, camp officials confirmed the heartbreaking news: 27 individuals, including campers and counselors, lost their lives.
“We are devastated,” the camp wrote in a statement. “Our hearts are broken alongside every family touched by this tragedy.”
The Final Hours
Thirteen-year-old Stella Thompson, a longtime camper, recalled the terrifying night the waters began to rise. Her cabin, located on the Cypress Lake side, was plunged into darkness after a power outage. The sound of rushing water crept closer.
“The helicopters above us were the moment it hit—we knew this wasn’t just rain. It was something bigger,” she told NBC.
Cabins began evacuating one by one. Stella and her group huddled together, praying and comforting one another, unsure of what lay ahead. Hours later, rescue crews arrived, navigating submerged paths and overturned kayaks to reach them.
“By the time we left, the camp didn’t even look like itself,” she said. “It looked like a place lost to the river.”
A Chilling Protocol
In a moment that has since stunned the public, counselors have shared that, before evacuations began, they were given a chilling task: to write the names of each camper directly onto their skin in case identification became necessary.
Two counselors, Silvana Garza and Maria Paula, spoke to NMas about the moment.
“We wrote names on the girls’ arms, legs—anywhere visible,” Garza explained. “We did the same for ourselves. It was precautionary, but it felt like preparing for war.”
Though neighboring camps had warned of rising river levels, the scope and speed of the flood caught everyone off guard.
“We packed small bags, gave hugs, and told the girls to bring one stuffed animal,” Garza said. “We tried to stay calm. But inside, we were terrified.”
Lives Lost, Names Remembered
Among the victims was 9-year-old Janie Hunt, a relative of Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Clark’s wife, Tavia Hunt, wrote:
“We are broken by the devastation in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives—including our precious cousin Janie. Our faith remains, but so does our heartbreak.”
Additional young victims include:
Renee Smajstrla, 8
Sarah Marsha, 8
Eloise Peck, 8
Lila Bonner, 9
The Bonner family, grieving the loss of their daughter, released a brief statement:
“We are shattered. Please respect our privacy as we try to survive this impossible sorrow.”
Conclusion: Love in the Midst of Loss
The tragedy at Camp Mystic is not just a story of loss, but also of courage, heartbreak, and human resilience. It has left an entire community in mourning—and a state struggling to process the depth of this catastrophe.
What began as a season of joy turned, in mere hours, into a life-altering trauma for hundreds. The names written in marker were meant to identify bodies, but now they serve as something more: a testament to lives loved deeply and lost too soon.
In the face of disaster, the actions of counselors, emergency responders, and the bravery of the girls themselves revealed the strength of the human spirit. And as the river recedes, what remains are the memories of those who were taken—and the aching, enduring love of those left behind.
May they never be forgotten.