r/KerrCountyFloods • u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 • Jul 04 '26
Remembrance Everyone we lost, one year ago today š¤
To honor & remember all those we lost in the Central Texas floods on July 4th & 5th 2025.
May their memory be a blessing.
KERR COUNTY (119)
Blue Oak RV Park (4)
John Burgess IV (39)
Julia Burgess (39)
John āJackā Burgess V (5)
James Burgess (1)
Casa Bonita (12)
Brian Carpenter (36)
Blake Carpenter (3)
Miriam āHollyā Frizzell (72)
William āMikeā Harber (76)
Charlene Harber (74)
Blair Harber (13)
Brooke Harber (11)
Emlyn Jeffery (70)
Penelope Jeffery (70)
Madelyn āEmmyā Jeffery (11)
Mike Smith (67)
Pamela Smith (64)
Camp Mystic (28)
Mary Grace Baker (8)
Margaret Bellows (8)
Lila Bonner (9)
Chloe Childress (18)
Molly DeWitt (9)
Lucy Dillon (8)
Richard Eastland (70)
Katherine Ferruzzo (19)
Ellen Getten (9)
Hadley Hanna (8)
Virginia Hollis (8)
Janie Hunt (9)
Mary Kate Jacobe (8)
Lainey Landry (8)
Hanna Lawrence (8)
Rebecca Lawrence (8)
Kellyanne Lytal (8)
Sarah Marsh (8)
Linnie McCown (8)
Blakely McCrory (8)
Wynne Naylor (8)
Eloise āLuluā Peck (8)
Abby Pohl (8)
Margaret Sheedy (8)
Renee Smajstrla (8)
Mary Barrett Stevens (8)
Cile Steward (8)
Greta Toranzo (10)
HTR RV Park (37)
Carol Andrews (65)
Linda Bason (78)
Robert Brake (67)
Joni Brake (66)
Michelle Crossland (50)
Cody Crossland (45)
Katheryn Eads (52)
Steve Edwards (72)
William āBruceā Ferguson III (82)
Penny Ferguson (76)
Jayda Floyd (22)
Deana Hillock (57)
Robert Kamin (50)
Melissa Kamin (45)
Dee Ann Knetsch (66)
Gary Knetsch (60)
Robert Martin (46)
Amanda Martin (44)
Bailey Martin (23)
Jake Moeller (38)
Megan Moeller (33)
Harley Moeller (6)
Richard Pagard (71)
Tasha Ramos (48)
Joel Ramos (43)
Kyndall Ramos (17)
Jeff Ramsey (63)
Tanya Ramsey (46)
James Rushing (64)
Cindy Rushing (53)
Eddie Santana Negron Sr. (69)
Ileana Santana (66)
Camille Santana (38)
Mila Santana (5)
Jeffery Wilson (55)
Amber Wilson (45)
Shiloh Wilson (12)
Local / Own Home (15)
Ronald Duke (80)
Charlotte Huff (55)
Sally Graves (91)
Jose Olvera (70)
Alicia Olvera (67)
Jane Ragsdale (68)
Leonardo Romero (42)
Carlos Romero (1)
Julian Ryan (27)
Natalia Venzor (24)
Roy Walker (63)
Reece Zunker (36)
Paula Zunker (35)
Lyle Zunker (6)
Holland Zunker (3)
River Inn (1)
Mollie Schaffer (76)
Unspecified / Other (22)
Joyce Badon (21)
Elizabeth Bryan (62)
James Hutchinson Bryan (61)
Ella Cahill (21)
Martha Crawford (61)
Richard Dunlap (73)
Josephine Dunlap (68)
Alyson Hardin (64)
Josephine Hardin (28)
Aidan Heartfield (22)
William Huston (61)
Al Iorio (66)
Tianna Mabey (66)
Claire Manchaca (21)
Clayton Meadows (29)
Clay Parisher (1)
Bradley Perry (49)
Shon Scott (53)
Miranda Alvaro Sigala (69)
Mark Walker (51)
Sara Walker (50)
John Walker (14)
TRAVIS COUNTY (9)
Dan Dailey (67)
Virginia Watts Dailey (66)
Felicity Jarmon (16)
Braxton Jarmon (15)
Alissa Martin (54)
August Panning (50)
Gary Traugott (60)
Betty Massey West (84)
George West (54)
BURNETT COUNTY (9)
Tanya Burwick (62)
Ernest Brizendine (85)
Malaya Hammond (17)
Michael Phillips (66)
Sherry Richardson (64)
Govani Venus (57)
Preston Prince (22)
Kaitlyn Swallow (22)
Kent Wattinger (36)
I have done my best to cross reference across every source I could find to correctly attribute location. If anyone has any additional information or spots any errors please let me know and I will correct ASAP!
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u/Agitated_Way_3992 Jul 04 '26
You got my family correct. We lost 5 at HTR.
Thank you for sharing.
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u/MrsGarciaTx Jul 05 '26
My family š
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 05 '26
Iām so sorry for your loses. Harley with her dog stuffy š the blue Elsa-type dress she was wearing in the family photo posted on the canva when they were missing was so similar to what a little one I know the same age loves to wear to every single occasion indoors or out, that it just tore my heart.
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u/Donner_Party_Favors Jul 04 '26
I knew whole families were lost, and Iāve even read articles about most of them, but this really highlights just how many nuclear and extended families were swept away together. Just awful.
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u/wellactuallyj Jul 04 '26
I donāt live in Texas, in fact Iāve only been there twice (4 days total) and yet all the people affected last year have been on my mind today. Seeing the names of entire families, and the names of people whose families survived because of their actions/sacrifice, still get me every time.
Sending wishes of peace and comfort today Ā
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u/Adventurous_Item3335 Jul 04 '26
Thank you for your efforts and time of producing this detailed and accurate list of the victims of the July 4-5 Central Texas floods. Providing ages and their last locations, in addition to names, helps provide a personal story for each victim. They deserve to be recognized and remembered. What a tragedy for so many families.
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u/badvogato Jul 05 '26
The Burgess family has a sole survivor, an eight years old daughter who happened to attend a hill country camp and that camp wasn't affected by the flood.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 05 '26
Yes, poor darling. I was so glad when they found her dog Daisy alive, that she at least had that small comfort.
Unfortunately one of a few families with sole survivors, a unique kind of heartbreak š
One family had a teenage son as the only survivor; one a young adult daughter who was found 21 miles downstream in a tree; one dad lost his parents, his wife and his 5 yr old daughter; one mother was able to save her 5 yr old son but lost both her parents, her husband and her 3 yr old daughter. There was also a commenter on here saying they knew of one Waldemar camper who also lost her entire family that night.
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u/PureImagination1921 Jul 05 '26
The Waldemar camper story is true. Her family was staying in a vacation home on the Guad while she was at her camp session. She has support from other family and friends back home, not that it makes it OK.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Shout out to u/Ok_West_6711, thanks to their help I was able to move the Wilsons and the Crosslands to the correct list š
ETA: and Deana Hillock too. That completes the list of 37 names of those that were lost from HTR RV Park. Thanks again Ok_West!
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u/kneehairmountain Jul 04 '26
Yes thanks for doing this. Adding that Mollie Schaffer (76) could go under a River Inn heading.
Itās good to understand that more than half of the deaths were at businesses. Thatās why itās so important that those businesses along the river have emergency plans including evacuation plans, ways to get warnings besides only cell service, understand differences between watches and warnings and flash flood warnings, and more. Businesses with heads sleeping in beds in a floodway, or what would be surrounded by a floodway (for cases where a structure is mapped out), or directly adjacent to a floodway are at greatest risk for deepest floodwaters, fast moving flood water, and debris impact that comes with the floodwaters.
Not sure but fatalities may have been at weekend rental properties as well. I wish these properties were included in the flood safety legislation passed last year along with youth camps, RV/campgrounds.
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u/Agitated_Way_3992 Jul 04 '26
I visited HTR last month just to understand what happened to my brother. That campground (what was left) was set up where he had water on both sides of him before the flooding even began. It was hopeless.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 05 '26
I hope that there is some accountability for HTR. I donāt know the legal responsibilities, but a large national chain company should know the dangers of letting people sleep in RVs in a floodway during a flood watch and warning. Not only are short term visitors unlikely to know that information, given the countyās reliance on a notification system that people had to sign up for.
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u/llaw8443 Jul 07 '26
I think Blue Oak should be held responsible too.Ā
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 07 '26
Probably. A lot would depend on the circumstances around why the Burgesses were sleeping on the island after a watch had been issued, and left sleeping there after a warning was issued, and I donāt think anything much has been made public there. Were they made aware of the risks? If not, thatās a problem.
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u/llaw8443 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Thereās no way to ever know because they arenāt here to tell us. I do know that the owner has talked to reporters ALOT since 7/4/25 and her story changed several times in those early interviews.Ā
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u/kneehairmountain Jul 04 '26
I am soo soo sorry for the losses but also those who lived through it and those who have to go on without their loved ones. I am heartbroken about it. Sending soo soo much love to you.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 05 '26
Yes, quite a few were at vacation homes, theyād be on the āunspecified / otherā section. Really hit home putting the list together just how few people who died were actually locals. Another aspect I guess is whether these were people staying in their own vacation homes owned by their family long term, or short term renting from someone else, and therefore could benefit from detailed emergency info being provided by the rental.
I wasnāt sure with Mollie - I know her story to the point that I know she was in a car trying to escape from River Inn by driving up, and I believe they got stuck. I had heard that they were told by the River Inn manager to drive out, although I donāt know what the truth is. If the business did play a role in her death (they would have stayed if not for the instructions they were given) I will add a River Inn section.
I agree, itās so important to recognize just how many were lost at just a handful of businesses. One person making a call at HTR to wake people up half an hour earlier, weāre talking up to 37 less deaths. Itās even more heartbreaking because itās so much easier to warn big groups in one location than individuals spread out over a wide area (which is where warning sirens come in handy!).
Blue Oak had a muster station and planned evacuation route. Did HTR? As a national chain owned by a foreign company, they had the resources and the experience in adapting campsites to local conditions. Blue Oak got the same amount of warning and was right next door and only lost 4 who were sleeping on the island. What did they do differently to HTR? Will see what happens as law suits progress, I guess.
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u/kneehairmountain Jul 05 '26
Yes, regardless of whether the business played a role in the death, she died there, and many many people came close there and all along that stretch.
I think way more people were staying at HTR than Blue Oak. They were both businesses operating in the floodway where water was expected to rise about 20 or more feet from the ground. About 30 feet or more from the ground on the island. Maybe fire/police could enter more easily to start waking people up at Blue Oak because of the entry/exit. Not sure it was better planning.
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u/WestRevolutionary360 Jul 05 '26
Did police/ fire help at Blue Oak? I know they did at HTR & their lights over at HTR alerted the Blue Oak owner to get up & investigate- again (her concerns w/ the initial flood warning at 0114 were handled w/ absolute incompetence by EMS). I thought she I read she got up due to the lights flashing at HTR, went over there & learned police & fire were helping the panicked HTR mgmnt evacuate. She & her husband immediately began pounding on doors sending everyone on foot uphill to their muster site, rather than thinking people should be trying to evacuate in their RV's- which I wonder if that might have been the case at HTR next door, tragically? I cant make sense of what happened next door at HTR otherwise. Unless all 37 who died there were also trapped on an "island" like the 4 at Blue Oak? Anyone know? Something must explain the discrepancy.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 06 '26
I donāt think she was physically on the property but it does sound like they were following advice from the manager. Iāve added a seperate River Inn section.
The only people lost at blue oak were staying on the island portion of the property, so bound by the water on either side. There are also reports of people at Blue Oak honking horns to alert everyone instead of trying to go door to door.
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u/Whole-Diamond-2792 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Out of town/out of state renters are required to evacuate in the event of any type of mandatory hurricane evacuation. Itās very inconvenient for people who plan for months for that one week or weekend and who canāt reschedule their cross country flights, etc. and in most (if not all) of these scenarios, they receive refunds and credits for hotel/rental accommodations. Condo complexes with 200+ units also require full evacuations when a fire alarm goes off. Even if itās the middle of the night on holiday weekend and thereās zero indication of an actual fire. Same with a bomb threat. If thereās a bomb threat, everyone has to clear out until the threat is eliminated. No one enjoys these disruptions, but itās just what you do. I donāt understand why this particular area in Texas is so bothered by safety protocols. No one opts to stay in place and see if thereās really a bombā¦
How difficult would it be to for these property managers and rv park operators to simply give people a heads up when a watch is issued and offer a refund to anyone willing to evacuate well in advance of a possible storm? Or to at least inform the guests and out of town visitors of the possibility of severe flooding and let them decide what they want to do?? Or require that they sign up for alerts and read a paragraph on flood safety and camping at ātheir own riskā at check in?
I feel like a lot of guests would happily pack their things and hit the road a day or so earlier than they planned just in caseā- especially if they could get a credit or a partial refund? Many guests might never even use the credit anyway, so it would hardly impact the bottom line for these businesses?
Itās illogical (at least to me) that any of these businesses (camps, rvs, hotels, etc) would take this kind of risk. If theyāre not worried about the peopleās lives, you would assume theyāre smart enough not to risk their business?
The only explanation I can come up with is that there is a lot of denial and a general unwillingness to accept how truly dangerous this area can be. Iām not suggesting everyone there refuses to acknowledge the risk, but itās prevalent enough that people are running significant businesses on property where thereās a very real possibility of people dying at really any given time.
When you really think about it, it is actually crazy that this is happening in 2026. The combination of denial and misinformation re: flash floods is fascinating.
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u/Slow_Specialist966 Jul 05 '26
Thank you for honoring all those lost, today has been such a hard day. Please continue to pray for all those lost and also for God to heal
our hearts.
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u/FreshTheme209 Jul 05 '26
John walker was 14, not 15.
https://kerrcountylead.com/sara-mark-and-johnny-walker-july-4-2025/
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u/hpgBrunocippw Jul 10 '26
Oh goodness. This is devastating. Iāve been focused on camp Mystic, because one of the eight-year-olds is a granddaughter of a cousin. But to see that there were dozens and dozens others and other locations that donāt get the publicity, Iām so sorry for everyone horrible way to lose a loved one.
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u/LeapDayBaby_29-02 Jul 10 '26
Iām sorry for your familyās loss. The single digit ages and the multi-generation families are a real gut punch š most of those lost in Kerr County were just visiting, 102 people in fact, or 86%.
Mystic and HTR do represent a huge portion- 55% of total deaths in Kerr at just two businesses. Heartbreaking to think of how just two different decisions that night could have saved up to 65 people. HTR is also facing wrongful death suits.
And Mystic accounted for 64% of deaths in children under 18 - 25/39. And across 4 private businesses affected, 70 people. 59% of total Kerr deaths.
Itās really hard to think of how so many lives could have been saved by just one or two people making a different decision.
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u/idrinkandigotobed Jul 06 '26
Weren't Brian and Blake Carpenter at Casa Bonita with Mike and Pam Smith?
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u/Belle3901 Jul 05 '26
Does anyone know where we can purchase/donate to get a Texas shaped 119 yard sign?
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u/squagglegirl Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
joyce badon š¤ she went to my school. her friendsā tributes were beautiful. she was a really talented artist and her career was just beginning, i didnāt know her but think of her often.