Damaged Camp Mystic mailbox in flood debris.
Share this @internewscast.com

Letters penned by young campers at Camp Mystic have begun reaching their families’ homes shortly after the tragic floods that led to cabins being washed away. 

More than 120 people were killed and over 150 remain missing – one week after the floods hit central Texas. 

Damaged Camp Mystic mailbox in flood debris.
Children wrote their families letters while at Camp Mystic (pictured a Camp Mystic letter box)Credit: AP
Photo of Blakely McCrory, an 8-year-old girl who died in the Texas Hill Country flash floods.
Blakely McCrory wrote her granddad a note before she diedCredit: Facebook

Twenty-seven campers and staff members at Camp Mystic, situated along the banks of the Guadalupe River, perished in what has been deemed the most catastrophic flooding event in Texas in over a hundred years. 

The river is located in the notorious “Flash Flood Alley,” rising more than 26 feet in just 45 minutes as it burst its banks. 

Little Blakely McCrory, eight, was among the children at the summer camp killed. 

And, it’s emerged that she wrote her family a letter before her body was found dead.

Her grandad, Douglas McLeod, received the note in the mail, as shared on Facebook

Blakely suffered tragedy just weeks before her death. 

Douglas told ABC News that the child’s dad died of a heart attack and he said what unfolded was a “double tragedy.”

“We’re just devastated,” he said.

Blakely’s devastated mom, Lindsey, paid tribute to her daughter online.

She revealed she was comforted that her daughter was in the “arms of Jesus.”

Camp Mystic director’s tragic final act to save girls from Texas floods as wall of water tore through cabins killing 27

“Eight years on this earth is far too short a stay,” she wrote. 

“Still, we know that Blakely was light and life, and she brightened the day of everyone fortunate enough to cross her path. 

“Our little part of the world shines brighter because Blakely was part of it. While we grieve her loss, we will choose to honor the life she lived.”

Meanwhile, families of the victims continue to search for possessions that were left behind. 

Muddy interior of a cabin with scattered belongings after flooding.
Belongings are scattered inside a flooded cabinCredit: Reuters
Satellite images showing Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas before and after flash flooding.
Stark satellite pictures show the scale of the damage the floods has causedCredit: AFP

Stacy Stevens’ daughter, Mary, also perished in the floods. 

Stevens shared a message on social media, saying she was looking for her daughter’s monkey, per The New York Post

She described the stuffed toy as her daughter’s “most prized possession.”

The mom later deleted her social media entry in a public Facebook group dedicated to items found on the Guadalupe River.

It was likely that the children at Mystic didn’t have their cell phones, former camper Charlotte Lauten said.

Lauten, 19, spent nine summers at Mystic during her childhood.

She also noted that as the camp is situated in such a remote location, there was high chance that there wouldn’t be cell phone signal.

The July 4 deluge was not the first time the Guadalupe River had burst its banks. 

HISTORY OF FLOODING

Ten teens were killed in floods that hit another camp in 1987, as reported by The New York Times. 

Floods in 1998 saw 12 fatalities and left more than 4,000 people injured. 

Camp Mystic chiefs invested $5 million in a move to expand the summer camp in 2019. 

But, the cabins that were most at risk of flooding were not relocated, as reported by the outlet. 

Dick Eastland, the director of the camp who was also killed, didn’t believe the scale of the floods that occurred on July 4 wouldn’t happen.

“He didn’t feel that there was any way that camp could flood like this,” Lisa Miller, a former counselor, told the outlet.

Tributes were paid to Eastland over his bravery and heroism.

His grandson, George, said he died when the flood waters crashed into the walls of his cabin.

“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way—saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,” he wrote on Instagram.

Eastland and doting wife Tweety bought the camp in 1974 and were the third-generation of their family to manage it.

An investigation into the floods is underway.

But, it has since emerged that Texas officials signed off on the camp’s emergency plans just days before the floods.

Inspectors surveyed Mystic and didn’t find any outstanding issues.

Before and after pictures show the damage the flooding caused.

The camp was located in a picturesque setting, but the landscape shows cabins destroyed and surrounding grassy areas turned to mud.

A volunteer holds a muddy Camp Mystic t-shirt and pink backpack.
A search volunteer holds a Camp Mystic t-shirt that’s sodden and covered in mudCredit: Getty
Flood-damaged building with debris.
A home left damaged by the floodsCredit: AFP
Children's belongings scattered outside a building after a flood.
Campers belongings are grouped together on a patch of grass outside one of the buildingsCredit: Getty
Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Therapist sitting in front of hyperbaric chambers.

Therapist, 43, Tragically Perishes in Fiery Blaze Inside Oxygen Chamber After Sudden Fire at His Clinic

A PHYSICAL therapist has been burned alive inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber…
Illustration of Indiana fireworks legality: pie charts showing legal times to set off fireworks for various dates.

New July 9 ‘Fireworks’ Law Enforces Instant Fines in US Cities for Violations—With One Date Exception

PEOPLE who set off fireworks now face instant fines for breaking a…
'King of the Hill' Revival': Hank and Peggy return after 15 years to a changed Arlen in season 14 first look - see trailer

“King of the Hill Returns: Hank and Peggy Re-emerge in a Transformed Arlen After 15 Years – Watch the Season 14 Trailer”

Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Texas, and a new…
Texas man on probation allegedly chases ICE vehicle, damages it after enforcement raid

Texas man on probation reportedly pursues and damages ICE vehicle following enforcement raid

Authorities reported that a man, who was released on bond for a…
Karen Read asks Massachusetts court to throw out wrongful death lawsuit after murder acquittal

Karen Read Requests Massachusetts Court to Dismiss Wrongful Death Lawsuit Following Her Murder Acquittal

Karen Read, who was exonerated from murder charges last month concerning the…
Woman in hospital bed recovering from dog attack.

Woman, 55, Attacked by Dogs While Delivering Uber Eats Order – Dogs Grabbed Her Head

A GRAN was left seriously injured after being mauled by two dogs…
Flood recovery in San Marco faster with new pump station

Rapid Flood Recovery in San Marco Boosted by New Pump Station

A city spokesperson says many streets flooded in Wednesday’s deluge drained in…
Ohio boy crawls into claw machine, gets stuck, rescued with pride bruised but unharmed

Ohio Child Rescued Unscathed After Getting Stuck in Claw Machine

A young boy in Ohio got himself into a tight spot after…
Chicago crime: Dion Wallace speaks out after son killed in Logan Square stabbing, fire; Wendy Tolbert charged after 3 kids stabbed

Tragedy in Chicago: Father Dion Wallace Shares Loss After Son’s Death in Logan Square; Wendy Tolbert Faces Charges in Stabbing Incident Involving 3 Children

CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago father is speaking out after a tragedy…
Angela Paxton at her husband's impeachment trial.

Senator Angela Paxton Announces Divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken on Biblical Grounds After Nearly 40 Years of Marriage

TEXAS Senator Angela Paxton has filed for divorce from her attorney general…
State Department firing more than 1,300 employees under President Donald Trump administration plan, officials say

Trump Administration’s Plan Leads to Over 1,300 State Department Employee Dismissals, Officials Report

The State Department is set to terminate over 1,300 employees this Friday…
SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych, 50, was shot dead by a masked assassin in Kyiv

Putin Supporters Celebrate Bold Daytime Assassination of Ukrainian Spy Chief, Hint at Kremlin Involvement

VLADIMIR Putin’s associates have openly celebrated the bold assassination of the Ukrainian…