Two young sisters, Blair Harber, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were found dead with rosaries in hand and their fingers locked together after devastating flash floods swept through Texas Hill Country last week, according to Newsweek and a family GoFundMe page.
The girls were among at least 82 victims confirmed dead after the Guadalupe River surged more than 20 feet in under two hours, triggering catastrophic flooding and mass evacuations across central Texas.
A Vacation Turned Tragedy
The Harber family had been vacationing at Casa Bonita, a private retreat in Hunt, Texas, when the floods struck early Friday morning. Blair and Brooke were staying with their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, who remain missing. Their parents, RJ and Annie Harber, were staying in a nearby cabin and awoke to the sound of rushing water around 3:30 a.m.
According to a family statement on GoFundMe, RJ and Annie tried to break through a window to reach their daughters but were held back by the rising floodwaters.
A Final Message
In a haunting final moment, Brooke reportedly texted her father and maternal grandparents just before she died, writing: “I love you.”
The sisters’ bodies were found together approximately 15 miles away in Kerrville. “Their hands were locked together when they were found,” the GoFundMe page reads, calling the loss “an unimaginable nightmare.”
Federal Aid Approved
President Donald Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County on Sunday, allowing for the release of federal resources to support ongoing recovery efforts. Texas Senator Ted Cruz also expressed condolences, urging residents to follow emergency guidance.
Search and rescue operations continue as many, including campers and elderly residents, remain unaccounted for. Officials face mounting questions about the speed of the response and flood preparedness as communities along the Guadalupe River work to recover from the disaster.
