‘It was really scary’: Camp Mystic counselor recounts ‘shock’ of moments campers disappeared in Texas flooding

A counselor at Camp Mystic recounted the moments on Monday where she witnessed the devastating floods that caused dozens of young campers to disappear.

Holly Kate Hurley, who has been going to the camp since she was ten years old, said on “America’s Newsroom” that she and the other counselors were informed that two cabins that housed 7-year-old girls were “wiped away” by the flash flooding that has killed over 80 people in Kerrville, Texas. Many campers had to evacuate their cabins in the middle of the night to avoid perishing in the rising floods.

“I was with my campers in the middle of the night, it was about 1:30 in the morning, and rain just kind of started coming through our windows. I woke my girls up, told them to close the windows and then the power just went out,” Hurley said. “All the fans turned off, running water didn’t work. And in the morning, they gathered all the counselors that were at Cyprus Lake and they told us that two of the cabins with the 7-year-old girls were wiped away and all these girls were missing. And we went back to our cabins and tried to keep up good spirits with these young girls.”

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Hurley witnessed the “scary” moments where the river completely flooded the dam and wiped away the water front. She then had to endure watching many parents arrive without reuniting with their child, she said.

“I think I was just in shock. I mean, like God bless the Army and everyone who helped us evacuate. Seeing little girls run to their parents and just hug them and cry, and also just seeing some parents who were looking for their little girls and they weren’t there. I was on the last bus to arrive, we all arrived safely. But, that’s just a sight I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” Hurley said.

The flood has led to the deaths of 27 campers and counselors, while 11 campers and one counselor remain missing. The camp said in a statement that it is “grieving the loss” of the victims and is communicating with authorities who are searching for the missing girls.

“Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe River. Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,” the statement reads.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a disaster declaration on Friday night, promising to “stop at nothing” to make sure that every resource is used to rescue every impacted person. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration on Sunday to authorize federal relief and recovery assistance in the area.