Two days after a deadly flash flood on the Guadalupe River claimed scores of lives in Kerr County, Texas, the Rt. Rev. David Read, Bishop of West Texas, was at St. Peter’s Church in Kerrville, the county seat, the morning of July 6 to offer comfort and assurance of support.
“My wife, Jacqui, and I would be nowhere else this morning but with you here at St. Peter’s and in Kerrville today,” he said. “Rescue and recovery efforts are much like a sprint, and pretty soon it’s going to turn into a marathon. It’s going to be long, and we’re with you for the long haul.”
 Mother, Daughter MissingAlyson Crouch Hardin, who has been serving as senior warden at All Saints in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one of many individuals reported missing after the Guadalupe River surged in the early morning of July 4 in Kerr County, Texas. In a message to the clergy and people, Bishop Peter Eaton of Southeast Florida said the Hardins’ family home in Hunt, Texas, was swept away by the flood while Hardin, her husband, Bill, and their daughter, Josephine, were in the house. Eaton spoke to Bill on the evening of July 5, who said that Hardin and Josephine are still missing and presumed dead. Their bodies have not yet been recovered. According to her LinkedIn profile, Hardin had worked in the financial sector for decades, most recently as a financial advisor for the wealth management firm Equitable Advisors. She is an alumna of the University of the South, where she also served on the board of trustees until 2020. Josephine was an undergraduate of the same school. —Caleb Maglaya Galaraga |
Read said the diocese received over $35,000 in donations on July 5, and that he has heard from about a third of the House of Bishops, many of whom are also raising money for relief. Episcopal Relief & Development, the outreach and relief agency of the Episcopal Church, has also been in touch with Read.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe called the West Texas bishop on the afternoon of July 4 and “pledged that all the resources of the Episcopal Church are ours, available to us, to meet the needs of the days ahead,” Read said.
At least 80 people have died in the flooding. They include 8-year-old Sarah Marsh from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, a renowned all-girls Christian summer camp situated along the river. She was one of 28 children whose bodies were found in Kerr County, which is also home to other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country.
Eleven girls and one counselor from the camp are still missing, Kerr County officials said.
According to the Camp Mystic website, the second term of summer camp—stretching four weeks—began on June 29. A New York Times visual report said the missing girls were staying in low-lying cabins less than 500 feet from the riverbank.
“Many in Kerrville, in our diocese, and across Texas, have personal connections to the missing campers and staff members,” an earlier message from the diocese said.
The diocese said that Camp Capers, which is also along the river, in Waring County around 50 miles away, was not damaged by the floodwaters. It had no campers, and the summer staff was on mid-summer break.
“All camp is family. When one camp suffers, we all do,” said the Rev. Jess Elfring-Roberts, executive director of Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers. “When one camp cries out, we all bend to listen.”
A report from the Associated Press explained that incredible levels of moisture in the air fueled a storm that moved slowly and dumped rain over central Texas, creating conditions for a flash flood in the early-morning hours while many were still asleep. The Guadalupe River surged to as much as 30 feet between 4 and 6 a.m. on July 4.
Dalton Rice, city manager of Kerrville, said the surge—from seven feet to 29 feet in some affected areas—occurred in a matter of minutes. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said in a press conference that it is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.
The Rev. Bert Baez, rector of St. Peter’s, said that he and his wife had to sit with their children to tell them about those who did not survive the flood. He mentioned the difficulty of articulating what happened in the past 48 hours.
“We’re going to make good on what we have,” Baez said during his sermon on July 6, as he reflected on Psalm 23 and focused on the significance of the word with in the Bible. “We are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. God is with us.”
Sobs were heard during the Prayers of the People, as the congregation prayed for those believed to be casualties of the flood.
As the search for survivors continues, prayers continue as well. A Service of Prayer and Commendation held at Saint Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas drew over 600 people, and the names of those who perished or are still missing were read aloud.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
