23 Girls Remain Missing in Flood That Devastated Christian Camp in Texas
23 girls remain missing from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian youth camp for girls, in the aftermath of a devastating flood that struck the region around Hunt, Texas and much of the surrounding community.
Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster Friday evening in Kerrville, requesting federal assistance and remarking, “This is a time when we, as a state, need God more than ever.” President Donald Trump characterized the flooding as “shocking and terrible” and pledged full federal support.
Shortly before dawn on July 4, a slow-moving storm system parked over the Guadalupe River basin, causing water levels to rise as much as 26 feet in under three hours. Camp Mystic and nearby Heart O’ the Hills Camps were inundated; Camp Director Jane Ragsdale—described by the Kerrville Daily Times as a “pillar of the community”—is among the confirmed fatalities. Areas along the Guadalupe and its tributaries from Kerrville to Fredericksburg and Austin remain at high risk as the system drifts northeast.
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for San Antonio, Marble Falls, and other Hill Country locales. Several Texas-based Christian relief organizations, including Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Response, have deployed volunteers and equipment to affected counties. Local churches are opening their doors as temporary shelters and distributing meals to displaced families.
Several pastors have cited Psalm 46:1—“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”—in coordinating prayer vigils and support networks. Next steps will include continued search and rescue operations in flood-impacted areas, assessment of infrastructure damage to roads and bridges along state Highway 16 and US 87, and monitoring of river gauges upstream to anticipate further overflow.
This is an ongoing story. Continue to pray for rescue and for the families involved.
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