{"id":30206,"date":"2025-07-07T21:49:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T21:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30206"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:49:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T21:49:37","slug":"heroic-counselors-who-died-saving-drowning-kids-from-texas-floods-last-act-of-kindness-and-sacrifice-daily-mail-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30206","title":{"rendered":"Heroic counselors who died saving drowning kids from Texas floods: &#8216;Last act of kindness and sacrifice&#8217; | Daily Mail Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/news\/none\/article\/other\/billboard.html --><\/p>\n<div id=\"taboola-top-carousel-thumbnails\" class=\"taboola\" data-taboolaposition=\"beforeArticle\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"articleWide cleared\">\n<div class=\"alpha\">\n<div id=\"js-article-text\" class=\"article-text wide  heading-tag-switch\">\n<h1>Heroic counselors who died saving drowning kids from Texas floods: &#8216;Last act of kindness and sacrifice&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"articleIconLinksContainer\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/news\/none\/article\/other\/para_top.html --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adHolder column-content cleared\">\n<div id=\"para_top\" style=\"width: 638px; margin: 0 auto;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!-- CWV --><!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE]>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/registration--.css\" media=\"screen\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--><!-- [if IE]>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/all-ie8-9--.css\" media=\"all\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/all1-ie8-9--.css\" media=\"all\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE 8]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/mol-fe\/static\/mol-fe-polyfill\/1.0.2\/ie8.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE 9]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/mol-fe\/static\/mol-fe-polyfill\/1.0.2\/ie9.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/sync_bundle--.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --> <!--<![endif]--><!-- SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3.\n    Copyright 1997-2009 Omniture, Inc. More info available at\n    http:\/\/www.omniture.com --> <!-- End SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3. --> <!-- [if IE]>\n<script>\n  (function (src, d, tag){\n    var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];\n    s.src = src;\n    prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);\n    }(\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/async_bundle--.js\", document, \"script\"));<\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --> <!--<![endif]--><!-- [if IE]>\n  <script>\n    DM.loadCSS(\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.css\");\n  <\/script>\n  <noscript> \t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.css\"><\/noscript>\n  <script defer src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --><noscript> \t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/videoplayer\/7.11.1\/styles\/mol-fe-videoplayer.min.css\"><\/noscript><!-- <![endif]--> <!-- CWV --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Two brave Camp Mystic staffers died trying to save young girls from the horrific <a id=\"mol-06e76900-5b47-11f0-8524-8f9f5bdb9272\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/texas\/index.html\" target=\"_self\">Texas<\/a>\u00a0floods as authorities continue their urgent search for missing campers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Camp Mystic father-figure and owner Richard &#8216;Dick&#8217; Eastland, 70, died while attempting to rescue girls from the Bubble Inn cabin, one of the closest to the river.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">College-bound counselor Chloe Childress, 18, was working at the Bubble Inn cabin, which housed the youngest campers, when the waters came rushing in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The two heroic staffers were among the\u00a0<a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14879823\/camp-mystic-director-killed-texas-flooding-save-girls.html\" target=\"_self\">27 confirmed dead<\/a> at the all-girls Christian summer camp\u00a0after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A beloved director from neighboring Heart O&#8217;the Hills Camp was <a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14880875\/faces-texas-floods-kerr-county-deaths.html\" target=\"_self\">also killed <\/a>when the flood came rushing in.\u00a0Fortunately, no children were present at the time as the camp was in between sessions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Roughly 750 children were likely asleep while the devastating flooding sent a wall of water through the <a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14879721\/camp-mystic-girls-killed-pictured-texas-floods.html\" target=\"_self\">century-old Camp Mystic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Camp Mystic issued a statement Monday morning confirming an updated number of fatalities from the <a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14882147\/texas-flood-victims-photos-dead-missing-search.html\" target=\"_self\">harrowing natural disaster<\/a> over the weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,&#8217; the camp said in a statement posted on its website.<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Camp Mystic (pictured), an all-girls Christian summer camp, lost 27 campers and counselors after the Guadalupe River flooded<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Two brave Camp Mystic staffers died trying to save young girls from the horrific Texas flood<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, first responders, and officials at every level.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">At least 10 girls and one Camp Mystic counselor are <a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14882481\/camp-mystic-death-toll-search-children-texas-floods.html\" target=\"_self\">still unaccounted for<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><span class=\"mol-style-italic\">Here is what we know about the heroic employees who lost their lives:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead\">Richard &#8216;Dick&#8217; Eastland, 70<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Camp Mystic Director Richard &#8216;Dick&#8217; Eastland, 70, died while trying to <a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/news\/article-14879619\/texas-floods-map-camp-mystic-live-updates.html\" target=\"_self\">rescue campers<\/a>\u00a0from the biblical rushing waters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Eastland&#8217;s nephew, Gardner Eastland, confirmed the death in a <\/span><a id=\"mol-a3b580a0-5a75-11f0-9738-ad31bf1b924a\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/sciencetech\/facebook\/index.html\" target=\"_self\">Facebook<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0post on Saturday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">The camp director&#8217;s wife, Tweety, was found safe at their home, according to\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tpr.org\/news\/2025-07-05\/guadalupe-river-flood-camp-mystic-director-among-the-dead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas Public Radio<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Father-of-four Eastland was attempting to rescue girls from Bubble Inn cabin, located about 150 yards from the river\u2019s edge and about 15 feet above the water level, reported<a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/nation\/2025\/07\/05\/camp-mystic-floods-parents-missing-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">His body was found along with three girls he was trying to save.<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Camp Mystic Director Richard &#8216;Dick&#8217; Eastland (pictured), 70, was found along with the bodies of three girls he was trying to save<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Father-of-four Eastland (center) owns the camp along with his wife, and is the third generation from his family to run the all-girls Christian summer camp since its founding<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The Eastlands have owned and operated Camp Mystic since 1974, and many viewed him as a father figure at the camp.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;It doesn&#8217;t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,&#8217; The Kerrville Daily Times<a class=\"class\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/dailytimes.com\/news\/my-friend-dick-eastland-locals-mourn-loss-of-camp-mystic-s-longtime-owner-and-director\/article_799eb387-e4bf-43db-8357-5f742ab5f903.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\"> guest columnist <\/a>Paige Sumner said in a tribute to Eastland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Dick was the father figure to all of us while we were away from home at Camp Mystic for six weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;He was the father of four amazing boys, but he had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad. I would never have taken a fishing class if it wasn\u2019t taught by my new friend Dick.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The couple has 11 grandchildren, and several of their children and their partners\u00a0assist in managing the camp.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">According to the camp website, the Eastland&#8217;s oldest son, Richard, manages the camp&#8217;s kitchen; their youngest son, Edward, and his wife are directors of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The couple attended the University of Texas in Austin and reside at the campgrounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Eastland is the third generation from his family to run the all-girls Christian summer camp since its founding in 1926.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead\">Chloe Childress, 18<\/h2>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Camp Mystic counselor Chloe Childress (pictured), 18, worked in one of the cabins closest to the river<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Childress (top left) was among the 13 girls and two counselors staying in Camp Mystic&#8217;s Bubble Inn cabin when the catastrophic floods hit on Friday morning<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Camp Mystic counselor Chloe Childress, 18, also lost her life in the flood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The Kinkaid School graduate was about to start studying at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Whether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone&#8217;s burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave,&#8217; Jonathan Eades, the head of The Kinkaid School, wrote in a letter to the school community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;She understood what it meant to be part of a community, and more than that, she helped build one.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Childress worked in the Bubble Inn Cabin, which, alongside the Twins cabin, housed the youngest girls, aged 8 to 10.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The cabins were less than 500 feet from the river and thus took in water from two directions: the Guadalupe River and a nearby creek, making the girls&#8217; escape particularly challenging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The bodies of nine of the girls and Childress have been found as of Monday morning, while counselor Katherine Ferruzzo and four campers remain missing.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead\">Jane Ragsdale, 68<\/h2>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Jane Ragsdale (pictured), 68, was the beloved director from neighboring Heart O&#8217;the Hills Camp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Ragsdale (center) devoted her life to the camp.\u00a0Fortunately, no children were present at the time as the camp was in between sessions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The director of another Texas summer camp was also confirmed among the victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Jane Ragsdale, 68, devoted her life to the Heart O&#8217;the Hills Camp, a summer camp for girls in the Texas Hill Country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">She was a camper and counselor there herself in the 1970s before becoming a co-owner. By the 1980s, she had become director of the camp in Hunt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;She was the heart of The Heart,&#8217; the camp said in a statement. &#8216;She was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Since the camp was between sessions, no children were staying there when the floodwaters rose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The camp&#8217;s facilities, directly in the path of the flood, were extensively damaged and access to the site remained difficult, according to camp officials. The camp has been in existence since the 1950s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Camp officials said Ragsdale would be remembered for her strength and wisdom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;We are heartbroken. But above all, we are grateful,&#8217; the camp said. &#8216;Grateful to have known her, to have learned from her, and to carry her light forward.&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/news\/none\/article\/other\/inread_player.html --><\/p>\n<div class=\"column-content cleared\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mobileGalleryModal\">\n<div id=\"mobileGallerySlider\" class=\"swipe\">\n<div class=\"mobile-gallery-bar navigation-bar\">\n<div class=\"navigation-arrow right\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption-bar\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"canvas\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/news\/none\/article\/other\/mpu_channel.html --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heroic counselors who died saving drowning kids from Texas floods: &#8216;Last act of kindness and sacrifice&#8217; &nbsp; &nbsp; Two brave Camp Mystic staffers died trying to save young girls from &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30208,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30206\/revisions\/30208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}