A young Alabama student, a grandparent and a camp director among those killed in Texas floods

AP A small-town grandmother who disappeared on her way to work A beloved director of a Texas summer camp for girls An Alabama elementary apprentice away from home These are a limited of the dozens of casualties lost in devastating flooding in Texas The flooding in central Texas originated from the fast-moving waters on the Guadalupe River on Friday killing at least people Executives say search and rescue efforts are still underway including for campers missing from a summer camp for girls Tanya Burwick The last time Tanya Burwick s family heard from her was a frantic phone call about the floodwaters as she headed to work at a Walmart early Friday in the San Angelo area When Burwick didn t show up for work her employer filed a missing persons record and sent a colleague to look for her Police studying the -year-old s disappearance uncovered Burwick s unoccupied SUV fully submerged later that day Her body was detected the next morning blocks from the van She lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh declared Lindsey Burwick who added that her mom was a beloved parent grandparent and colleague to multiple She and her brother Zac announced the day was especially arduous because it happened on July Fourth as they were working at a fireworks stand that s been in the family for generations As word of Tanya Burwick s disappearance spread people from from Blackwell a small group of about people revealed up to the stand that s run out of a trailer painted orange People came to our aid Lindsey Burwick stated Police in San Angelo noted more than houses barns and other buildings have been affected by the floods in the population of roughly people We ask that the residents continue to keep the Burwick family in their thoughts and prayers as they approach this heartbreaking tragedy the San Angelo Police Department disclosed in a Facebook post Jane Ragsdale Jane Ragsdale devoted her life to the Heart O the Hills Camp a summer camp for girls in Texas Hill Country She was a camper and counselor there herself in the s before becoming a co-owner By the s she was director of the camp in Hunt She was the heart of The Heart the camp commented in a report She was our guiding light our example and our safe place She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen loved and central Since the camp was between sessions no children were staying there when the floodwaters rose The camp s facilities directly in the path of the flood were extensively damaged and access to the site remained complicated according to camp functionaries The camp has been in existence since the s Camp executives reported Ragsdale would be remembered for her strength and wisdom We are heartbroken But above all we are grateful the camp revealed Grateful to have known her to have learned from her and to carry her light forward In a oral history for the Kerr County Historical Commission Ragsdale whose first name was Cynthie but went by her middle name Jane talked about how her father was also a camp director and how much she enjoyed her experiences I loved every minute of camp from the first time I stepped foot in one she recalled Videos of Ragsdale strumming a guitar and humming to campers during a contemporary session were posted in a memorial on the camp s Facebook page Life is good nowadays So keep warbling til we meet again Sarah Marsh Eight-year-old Sarah Marsh from Alabama had been attending Camp Mystic in Texas a longtime Christian girls camp in Hunt where several others were killed in the floods As of Sunday afternoon children were still missing Marsh was a participant at Cherokee Bend Elementary in suburban Birmingham This is an unimaginable loss for her family her school and our entire society Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch disclosed in a Facebook post Sarah s passing is a sorrow shared by all of us and our hearts are with those who knew and loved her He stated the group where about people reside would rally behind the Marsh family as they grieved Her parents declined an interview request Sunday as they mourn this unbearable loss the girl s grandmother Debbie Ford Marsh informed The Associated Press in an email We will invariably feel fortunate to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives She will live on in our hearts forever Marsh wrote on Facebook We love you so much sweet Sarah She declined further comment U S Sen Katie Britt of Alabama also noted the girl s tragic death We continue to pray for the casualties loved ones the survivors those who are still missing and our brave first responders as search and rescue efforts continue in Texas she reported in a post on social media platform X Blair and Brooke Harber Sisters Blair and Brooke Harber both students at St Rita Catholic School in Dallas had been staying alongside the Guadalupe River when their cabin was swept away according to the school Pastor Joshua J Whitfield of St Rita Catholic Public which shares a campus with the school commented the girls parents Annie and RJ Harber were staying in a different cabin and were safe However their grandparents were unaccounted for Annie Harber has been a longtime facilitator at the school This tragedy has touched every corner of our hearts the church reported in a report Sunday Blair who was enrolled in advanced classes was involved in numerous school sessions from volleyball and basketball to speech and drama Brooke was a rising sixth grader and a aspirant athlete in volleyball and lacrosse among other sports She also participated in speech and drama according to the church Both were remembered for their kind hearts and warm personalities We will honor Blair and Brooke s lives the light they shared and the pleasure they brought to everyone who knew them Whitfield wrote in a Saturday letter to parishioners And we will surround Annie RJ and their extended family with the strength and help of our St Rita public The church held a special prayer provision Saturday afternoon and offered counseling Please keep the Harber family in your prayers during this time of profound grief Whitfield wrote May our faith our love and our St Rita locality be a source of strength and comfort in the days ahead