Rushing water, missing families — The human toll of the Texas July 4 flood

UPDATE 7/11: The death toll has risen to more than 120 people and 170 people are still missing. 

July 4, 2025, will be a date many will never forget. In the Hill Country of Texas, along the Guadalupe River, flooding took away the lives of at least 108 people. Some of those gone are RVers. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the scope of this tragedy. We want to try and narrow down the focus and talk about how the RV community has been affected. This story focuses on the Texas flooding and RVers. A follow-up piece will speak to how you can protect yourself and loved ones from disasters like these.

Texas flooding and RVers: Father swept away holding his sons

John Burgess, a father from Liberty, Texas, died in the catastrophic flooding that struck Kerr County, reportedly while clinging to his two young sons in a desperate attempt to save them. His wife, Julia Anderson Burgess, also perished. Their sons remain missing.

The family had been staying at the Blue Oak RV Park near Ingram while on a trip to pick up their daughter from a nearby camp—one that was spared by the floodwaters. According to park owner Lorena Guillen, the Guadalupe River rose about 26 feet in just 45 minutes, leaving no time for evacuation.

“The man was holding tight to his babies, and he just got swept away,” Guillen told The New York Post, recalling how her own husband tried to reach the family. “We heard people screaming throughout the night… ‘Help me! Help me!’ It was just too much.”

All 28 RVs at the park were destroyed in the flood, many of them washed downstream or crushed against trees. First responders have since recovered the bodies of both John and Julia, but the boys are still unaccounted for.

The family had come to the Hill Country for a holiday weekend, unaware of the danger. Neighbor Winnie Taylor expressed the sorrow shared by many: “We’ve all been praying… It’s just a sad, sad situation.”

“The kids were so excited to be here,” Guillen said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Sources: PEOPLE, KWTX, The New York Post, WLUC, AP

A 25-mile dash to rescue guests

As in nearly every disaster, there were those who we call heroes. Some of them, by virtue of their circumstances, are ones we might not expect. David Chambers, celebrating his 77th birthday on July 7, has to be one them.

Chambers owns the Guadalupe Keys Resort along the Guadalupe River. He got a life-saving phone call on the morning of July 4. His business partner, Drew Yancy, who was staying at the park, alerted him that the river was rising fast.

David Chambers immediately jumped in his car and drove 25 miles from his home in Boerne to the resort. He arrived around 6:29 a.m., just as the Guadalupe River spilled over its banks, and saw a 4-foot wall of water barreling toward the property.

He and another worker sprinted through the property, banging on doors of the park’s nine rental RVs. Within minutes, they managed to evacuate all 15 guests, including children. “You’ve got to get out!” Chambers repeatedly yelled into RVs throughout the park.

Just after the last evacuee left, the brown floodwater completely covered the park, flipping RVs upside down, smashing them into trees, and sweeping others miles downstream. One shipping container full of tools was later spotted 15 miles away in Waring, Texas.

Chambers’ once-idyllic park—which included a sandy beach shaded by cypress trees, BBQ pits, and lawn chairs—was transformed into a muddied disaster zone. Many of the three-story cypress trees were uprooted or snapped. Thick river mud coated everything.

Source: Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

RV couple still missing

RVers Joni and Robert Brake of Burleson, Texas, remain missing following the catastrophic flash flooding that struck Kerr County. The couple had been staying at HTR RV Park, one of several parks devastated along the Guadalupe River, where floodwaters rose so quickly that many visitors had no time to escape.

According to Lorena Guillen, owner of a nearby RV park, the water surged nearly 20 feet within moments, lifting concrete slabs, overturning RVs, and sweeping entire campsites downstream.

“They tried to get to them so hard, but there was no way,” Guillen told FOX 4. “The lower-level campers were already floating away.”

The Brakes’ family traveled to Kerr County themselves, hoping for any update, but search and rescue teams are still scouring the riverbanks with boats, drones, and ground crews. The couple is among several still unaccounted for, including James and Cindy Rushing from Sulphur Springs, who were last seen at HTR RV Park as well.

Footage from the area shows RVs bobbing in the water, then disappearing into the raging current.

Source: FOX 4 News, interviews by Peyton Yager

“It was everything”: RV park owner recounts devastation

Not only were RVers affected by the devastating flooding, so were those who depend on them for their living. Lorena Guillen is one of them.

Guillen owns the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville, Texas. She’s still reeling from the catastrophic July 4 flooding that tore through her property and community. Guillen and her husband purchased the park four years ago as a retirement dream. That dream now lies in ruins.

“Blue Oak RV Park… it was everything,” Guillen told KHOU 11.

On the morning of the flood, she woke around 2:30 a.m. to check the river gauges. Everything seemed normal. Even the sheriff’s department had no warning of what was coming. But within an hour, rescue lights filled the sky, and water was rising fast.

“We just started banging on doors,” Guillen said. “People were trying to get their belongings, and we said, ‘There’s no time — you need to go.’”

By the time the sun rose, all 28 RVs at the campground had been swept away or destroyed. Nearby, cabins from neighboring parks slammed into trees so hard they stripped the bark.

Guillen’s nearby business, Howdy’s Bar and Chill, was also flooded. The river rose more than 20 feet, overtaking areas never meant to hold water.

One family staying at the park didn’t survive, despite the efforts of rescue teams using two boats. Guillen spoke tearfully about Julian Ryan, one of her employees who died saving his mother, fiancée, and children. A GoFundMe for his family has since been verified and shared by Guillen.

Now, she’s focused on her displaced staff. “I don’t have work for them. How are they going to pay their bills?”

Officials say the immediate focus is on reuniting families and offering support. But for Guillen, the heartbreak—and the cleanup—has only just begun.

Source: KHOU 11 News, Amanda Henderson reporting

Honor in action, grief in the wake

The stories from along the Guadalupe River—of a father swept away holding his sons, a couple still missing, a park owner sprinting through rising water to save his guests—are etched into the heart of the RVing world. These weren’t just headlines: They were family trips, retirement dreams, and everyday people doing extraordinary things in a moment of crisis. As the RV community mourns, it also honors the courage of those who didn’t hesitate when lives were on the line.

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