Survivors of the Texas Flood Tragedy Include Family of 33, Woman and Her Dogs, More Stories of Resilience

At least 82 people have died following the Fourth of July floods in Central Texas, according to reports

NEED TO KNOW

• A family of 33 and a woman who escaped with her two dogs on a kayak are among the survivors of the Texas flood tragedy
• David Fry spoke to KPRC 2 about helping his family onto the roof of the River Inn Resort in Hunt, while Diana Smith told the outlet she's "still in shock" after managing to survive with her dogs
• At least 82 people, including 28 children, have died in the floods, per the Associated Press

A family of 33 and a woman and her two dogs are among the survivors amid the destructive and deadly flooding in Central Texas.

Flash floods drowned portions of the state's Hill Country on the Fourth of July, spurred by nearly unprecedented rainfall that swelled the Guadalupe River. 

Amid the heartbreaking reports, stories of survival have also emerged, with David Fry — who was on vacation with 33 members of his family at the River Inn Resort in Hunt when the floods occurred — speaking about the moment he and his family helped one another onto the hotel's roof.

“This area has been very near and dear to our families for a long time,” he told NBC-affiliated station KPRC 2.

As waters in the area rose more than 25 feet in approximately 45 minutes on Friday morning, Fry said, “That’s when we went through banging on doors, just trying to notify as many people as possible and get them out and push them up to the road," per the outlet.

"A couple of vehicles had already been lost off the roadway to fast water," he added to the station.

Fry helped save his family, who all survived, as well as others at the hotel and people who had been stranded in homes across the street, per KPRC 2.

“It’s the only thing that matters," he told the outlet of his decision to help others.

“You know, it was a very, very close call and had we been 10 or 15 minutes later... it would've been too late,” he added of being among the survivors.

Survivor Diana Smith also spoke to KPRC 2 about the moment she and her two dogs hopped in a kayak to escape the rising flood waters, which had surrounded her home.

“I just screamed. I called 9-1-1. Nothing happened. And I screamed ‘God, I don’t know what to do,’ ” she told the outlet. 

“I open the front door and it sweeps both my dogs in different directions and I’m panicking thinking, ‘Now what the hell am I gonna do?’ I said a prayer when I was standing on my porch. Both my parents are deceased. And I said, ‘Mom, Dad, God, help,' " Smith added to the station.

“I don’t know what to think. I think I’m still in shock,” she continued.

In an update shared on Sunday, July 6, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Facebook that they had recovered 68 people in total, including 40 adults and 28 children.

Camp Mystic, in Hunt, has become a major site of the devastation so far. The Christian summer camp confirmed on its website that they were "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," the message read.

In the early hours of Monday, July 7, the US National Weather Service for Austin-San Antonio shared an update warning of more rain to come through the day.

"There remains a threat of flash flooding from slow moving heavy rains overnight and through the day on Monday somewhere over the watch area," the update read, adding that a flood watch has been issued through 7 p.m. local time.

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Two to four inches of additional rainfall have been predicted, along with isolated amounts up to 10 inches. "Rainfall rates will be very intense in the heaviest showers and storms," the statement added. "Any additional heavy rainfall over hardest hit areas of the past few days will lead to rapid runoff and flash flooding."