THE Episcopal diocese of West Texas has set up an emergency fund to support flood-relief efforts in Kerr County, where 27 children and counsellors at a long-established Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadeloupe River are confirmed to have died in flash floods on Sunday.
Around 750 girls were evacuated from Camp Mystic as the floods hit with a force that saw the river rise 22 feet in 45 minutes. Distressing video footage on the camp’s Facebook page illustrates the terror as water tore through the cabins closest to the river bank, where the younger girls were sleeping at the time.
“As a parent and long-time camp counsellor, I grieve especially with the parents and camp communities now facing unfathomable loss,” the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Revd Sean Rowe, told the Episcopal News Service (ENS). “I pray God will comfort them and surround them with the support they need. In addition to your prayers, please consider donating to the fund set up by the Diocese of West Texas.”
Episcopalians are confirmed to be among the girls who died. The executive director of Episcopal Camps and Conference Centres, Jess Elfring-Roberts, told ENS: “We are profoundly aware that in our community, camp is family. When one camp suffers, we all do. When one cries out, we all bend to listen. The connections formed in this network of camps are sacred, enduring, and now grieving.”
The Bishop of West Texas, the Rt Revd David Read, is reported to have travelled to St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville on Sunday, to support its congregation and clergy. “Our hearts go out to you all who are grieving and those of you who are waiting, and those of you who have lost homes, or businesses, or livelihoods, or lifestyles; to parents who just want to hold your kids really, really close right now,” he said. “The Diocese of West Texas is with you in the midst of all that’s going on.”
Following the Angelus in Rome on Sunday, Pope Leo offered his sincere condolences to all the families who had lost loved ones in the floods, in particular their daughters who were at summer camp. The death toll on Wednesday was estimated to have risen to more than 110, with 173 still missing.
