Texas dad refused to let go of 'his babies' during flood — and all were swept away, witness says
Share this @internewscast.com

KERRVILLE, Texas — In a tragic incident during the floods, a desperate father clinging to a tree with his children refused to pass them to nearby residents. Sadly, the entire family was swept away in the powerful waters, a devastated local reported on Monday.

“My husband was in the water, pleading with him, ‘Please throw your baby to me!’ But the man held tightly to his children, and the current pulled them all away,” recounted Lorena Guillen, who owns the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerr County, one of the areas severely affected by last week’s devastating floods.

The tragic dad, John Burgess, who lived in Liberty, Texas, is among the confirmed dead, KWTX reported.

His wife Julia and two young sons are still missing, while the couple’s daughter, who was staying in a nearby summer camp, is safe.

The family had come to the RV park for the July 4 holiday, Guillen said.

“The kids were so excited to be here,” she said.

Guillen mentioned that all 28 RVs in the packed park that morning were destroyed, and she will never be able to erase the memory of the terror-filled screams as they were carried off by the floodwaters.

“We heard people screaming throughout the night,” she said. “The cabins from the RV park next door came floating, and they were getting smashed against the trees.

” ‘Help me! Help me!’ — that was the main thing. You heard a lot of screaming, it was just too much,” Guillen said.

The RV park owner recalled closing local Howdy’s Bar, her other business, around 12:45 Friday morning just as it started to rain hard.


Follow The Post’s coverage on the deadly Texas flooding


She received a possible flash flood warning notification shortly afterward, she said.

“About 2:30 [a.m.], I couldn’t sleep. I went all the way to the edge of the water, and I looked down at the river, and it was fine,” she said.

“I called the sheriff’s department at that time, and they had no information how the river levels were. I asked them, ‘Do I need to evacuate?’ and they said, ‘We have no information right now, we don’t know.’ “

An hour later, she and her husband were woken by the lights from the rescue team at the park.

“My husband and I ran down. By then, the first level of the RVs were already washing away. The river went up about 10 feet at that time. A family of five was stranded because they were the ones closest to the river. Their RV was floating away. It was pitch black, it was so dark,” she said.

The couple started banging on the doors of RVs to wake up the occupants and get them to safety.

Eight bodies were recovered from her property Sunday, while two girls were stuck underneath rubble, and the RV park next door had 40 missing people, she said.

Exposed wires, mangled vegetation and smashed up cars now line the river where the RVs once stood after the Guadelupe River rose an astonishing 27 feet in just 45 minutes.

Guillen called for a better warning system in future to enable people to get to safety.

“I don’t understand why we don’t have alarms blaring in every single property or every mile down the road,” she said. “But something needs to change. Hopefully I’ll never get to see this in my lifetime.”

Despite that, she doesn’t blame authorities for the once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I think they did the best they could with what they had. The river flooding authorities not having a budget enough to have censors and alarms installed — that’s the part that should have been changed. Without having a budget or resources, their hands are tied as well,” she said.

“Nobody ever remembers a flood this bad. I have friends who are 90 years old and they don’t remember a flood that bad.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Victim in viral Cincinnati street brawl now charged in case, police say

Cincinnati Street Brawl Victim Faces Charges, Police Report

A man involved in the recent violent altercation on the streets of…
Chicago Police Department leaders were warned of 'problematic patterns' with 1863 tactical team's traffic stops turned searches

Chicago Police Department Leaders Alerted to Concerning Trends in Traffic Stop Searches by the 1863 Tactical Team

CHICAGO (WLS) — When Limorris Bell was pulled over by Chicago police…
Jerusalem Tax Dispute Patriarchate and Property Exemptions

Tax Controversy in Jerusalem: Patriarchate’s Property Exemptions

On August 6, 2025, the Jerusalem municipality took the drastic step of…
What Chris Pratt Said on Bill Maher's Podcast Is Going to Have the Left Even More Furious With Him

Chris Pratt’s Comments on Bill Maher’s Podcast Are Likely to Upset Liberals Even Further

People often ask why I choose to treat Hollywood with a touch…

Shocking Development: Uncle’s Deceptive Cover-Up of Girlfriend’s Murder Unveiled in Missing Boy Emmanuel Haro Case

DISTURBING details have emerged about the family of missing seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro…
Photo of a young man with curly hair.

Family’s Heartfelt Tribute to Teen Lost in Crash: ‘He Brought Love to Everything,’ as 36-Year-Old Driver Sentenced

A GRIEVING family have paid a heartbreaking tribute to their “beautiful” son…
Florida woman says moving company held belongings hostage for months

Florida Woman Claims Moving Company Kept Her Belongings Hostage for Months

The BBB says you need to know two things when hiring a…
Appeals court blocks New Mexico's 7-day waiting period for gun purchases, saying it violates 2nd Amendment

Appeals Court Halts Enforcement of New Mexico’s 7-Day Gun Purchase Waiting Period, Citing 2nd Amendment Concerns

A federal appeals court has paused New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for…
Zelensky and Putin at a meeting in Paris.

Why Does Putin Fear Zelensky? How Meeting the ‘Nazi Comic’ Turned Hero Could Highlight the Dictator’s Shortcomings

VLADIMIR Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have only met in person once before.…
Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

Israel Mobilizes 60,000 Troops for ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots II’ to Capture Gaza City with Defense Minister’s Approval

ISRAEL has reportedly called up 60,000 troops as they look to launch…
Troubling DOJ Emails Raise Serious Questions About Biden Commutations

Alarming DOJ Emails Spark Concerns Over Biden’s Commutations

There have been a lot of questions about the pardons that Joe…

Tragic Collision Results in Fiery Bus Crash: 76 Dead, Including 17 Children, After Accident Involving Truck and Motorbike

AT least 76 people are dead including 17 children after a horrific…