Reported miracle rescue of 2 girls clinging to tree in Texas floods was a false account, Texas Rep. Chip Roy says
US Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) revealed Sunday that the supposed harrowing tale of survival of two girls who clung to a tree until they were rescued from the Texas floods was a false report.
“The story of rescues in Kendall County was NOT true,” Roy posted on X.
The inaccurate account was first shared on Facebook by Cord Shiflet, an Austin man helping clear out debris.
He alleged two girls were found clinging to a tree 30 feet up in Comfort, Texas, in Kendall County, more than 15 miles outside Kerrville, where 59 people died in Friday’s flood at the Guadalupe River.
5An initial report of two girls rescued from a tree following flooding in Texas turned out to be false.Getty Images 
5The flash floods killed at least 69 people across Texas.
5Aerial illustration of Camp Mystic in Texas after flooding, showing distances from the Guadalupe River and locations of senior and junior cabins.Falon Wriede / NY Post Design
At least 80 people have died in the floods, including 68 in Kerr County, the epicenter of the devastation.
AD
Authorities are still scouring Kerr County for the 10 missing girls from Camp Mystic, along with one counselor, and 41 other people are still unaccounted for as well, authorities said.
5Fifty-nine people died in Friday’s flood at the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.REUTERSAD
On Friday, the Guadalupe River spilled over its banks after an unexpected downpour spurred the water level to rise several inches in mere hours, sweeping up entire cabins filled with vacationers and campers in the area celebrating the Fourth of July weekend.
So far, authorities have recovered 70 victims across four counties and rescued more than 850 people in the first 36 hours alone.
Twenty-one of the deceased found in Kerr County were children, including five girls from Camp Mystic.
Many campsites nearest the river didn’t have enough time to evacuate before the floodwaters reached the cabins.
5Four more bodies were also found in the same area as the rescued girls.REUTERS
A pair of brothers at the all-boys Camp La Junta described how they woke up in the middle of their cabin flooding.
“I hear screaming from outside. Later on, I find out someone’s cabin flooded and they were outside in the middle of the rain,” camper Braeden Davis said.
Their beds started to float as water quickly seeped in from outside and tore the door off its hinges, forcing the campers to swim out of the cabin and scramble to high ground.
Everyone at Camp La Junta was safe and accounted for, according to its Instagram.
The youngest girls at Camp Mystic were located in cabins less than a football field away from the river. The entire campground was “completely destroyed,” rescued camper Elinor Lester said.
More flooding threats including thunderstorms are expected in Texas Hill Country, prompting more evacuations.