A 22-year-old woman was miraculously rescued after being swept nearly 20 miles downriver during the devastating flash floods in Kerr County, Texas. According to KENS 5, the young woman was pulled from her campsite by raging floodwaters and found hours later clinging to a tree for dear life.
Swept Away in the Dark
The woman had been camping with her family—her parents, sister, aunt, and uncle—when the Guadalupe River suddenly rose and engulfed their site. At some point, she was washed away from a vehicle she was in with her parents and became separated from the rest of her family. Their current condition remains unknown.
Discovered by Chance
On the morning of July 4, around 8 a.m., Carl, a resident of Center Point, stepped outside and heard faint cries for help. Looking toward the roaring river near Lion’s Park Dam, he spotted the woman clinging high up in a large cypress tree—12 feet above the receding water.
“I heard her yelling,” Carl recalled. “Then I saw her holding on to that tree, right above the rapids. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Rescue Against the Odds
With emergency calls failing to go through, Carl flagged down a passing police car. Soon after, two rescue boats were dispatched and successfully reached the woman, who dropped from the tree into one of the boats and was brought to safety.
She had been stranded for more than four hours after being carried miles downstream in the middle of the night.
“It was a true miracle,” Carl said. “There’s no other way to explain it.”
Carl and his family took the young woman into their home, offering dry clothes, water, and comfort after her terrifying ordeal. “We talked with her for a while,” he said. “She’d been through something unimaginable.”
Minor Injuries, Major Survival
Despite the ordeal, the woman suffered only minor injuries and was reported to be in stable condition. Her survival stands out as one of the few uplifting moments amid the tragic floods that have already claimed dozens of lives across Central Texas. Search and rescue efforts continue for others still missing.
