"Don't let go, Mom!"

Mother and Son's Miraculous Survival in Texas' Record-Breaking Flood

My hometown of Kerrville, TX is currently experiencing one of the most catastrophic natural disasters of its history.¹ It began in the dark hours before dawn on Friday and within minutes had reached biblical proportions, violently washing away whole families and their homes in an instant. For three days, I tried unsuccessfully to contact a dear friend from Austin who was spending the 4th of July weekend with her son in Hunt, one of the hardest hit towns in the flood area. Monday morning we heard from her; she and her son are safe and sound but forever changed. I want Kristen to tell you their harrowing story in her own words, but first, I want to tell you who she is.

Kristen and I met in the seventh grade in Kerrville — the same year and at the same school as I met my Hubby. I was 12, she was just 10, having skipped a couple grades because she was so freaking smart. She is an immensely intelligent, brilliantly funny, creative spirit who somehow persuades her outsized personality to inhabit the teeny, tiny, pixie body of an adorable blonde forest elf. Her equally brilliant, funny and creative son, Graham, occupies a full-sized teenaged body, but you can definitely see a hint of elf in his eyes. Thirteen years ago, when Graham was barely in elementary school, he and Kristen endured the sudden loss of their beloved dad and husband, Brent. Pulling each other through that tragedy forged a bond and a resiliency that served them well during their July 4th ordeal.

In Kristen’s Words:

“I woke up at about 2:00 AM because it was thundering so loud. I went to the kitchen and opened the door to the carport and everything was okay. I used the bathroom and went back to the kitchen and water was coming in the door. I grabbed a bunch of towels and put them at the door. I checked on our pets (a dog and a cat) and Graham. Suddenly a bunch of water flooded into all doors. I woke up Graham and we got our kitty into his carrier and our dog leashed up. I thought we would get into our car and head upstream.

In seconds, we were up to our waists in water. All of the flooring and furniture came up making it hard to move within the house. We got to the kitchen and looked out the door and both of our cars were floating and the water was above the door. Graham said, ‘Get on the counter’, and we did, and he was screaming at me to get out of this tiny window above the kitchen sink. I thought there was no way I could fit out of that window. The refrigerator floated between us, and Graham had to swim under it to get to me. He got shocked with electricity when his feet hit the floor. Neither of us remembers who went first, but we got out of that window with both pets. There was an AC unit under that window that had floated up. We were kind of standing on that.

Graham was trying to get on the roof, but it is metal and he just couldn't. We talked and decided to throw the cat, in his carrier, as far up as we could. At that point, the river rose again and we were just in the drink. Mirabeau [standard poodle] was climbing on top of me and pulling me over and Grahm yelled to me that I had to let him go. So, I did. We free flowed in the angry water and I lost touch with Graham for about 40 minutes. A gigantic tree hit me and pulled me under water. I somehow got untangled. Still went with the flow and finally grabbed onto a tree. Started yelling for Graham (or vice versa -- we don't remember) and he called out. So, for a couple of hours, that sweet boy was yelling, "Don't let go mom!"

To make a long story longer, and I'm skipping some stuff, about that time we saw a flashlight and Graham and I started screaming "Help!" and then the light receded. Once the river went down, that light came back and the most wonderful neighbor saved us.

Later that same day, we went to look for missing friends. Remarkably, we were able to get to our house and the cat carrier was still on the roof. With a waterlogged Governor [kitty] in it. Even more remarkably, in the early evening some people came by where we were sheltered, and asked if anyone was missing a standard poodle. Mirabeau, our dog, was found alive three miles down the road. So we are whole. That said, we lost friends. And so many people lost friends and family. It’s hard to celebrate our luck.”

A Laundry List of Miracles

Clearly, their quick thinking and tenacity saved their lives, but I also believe that Brent must have been intervening as well. Take a look at the list of small but significant miracles that happened one after the other: Kristen was awakened by the thunder and therefore they were not ambushed still sleeping in their beds; Graham wasn’t killed by the electrocution; they were able to fit themselves and the pets through the small window; Kristen was hit by a giant tree — but not knocked unconscious — and was able to free herself from it’s underwater grip; after being separated and tossed by raging waters for more than 40 minutes they found each other clinging to trees within shouting distance; both the cat and the dog survived and were reunited the next day. I don’t know about you, but that feels like world-class otherworldly intervention to me.

The Rescuers

Kristen: “The wonderful man who saved us from the tree is Mike Little of Hunt. His wonderful wife, Alana gave us clothing and warm towels and put us by a propane stove. Without electricity, they made us coffee and made warm soup (immediately) for the tiny children who had bravely and fiercely been clinging, naked and cold, on roofs before Mike rescued them too. The children were visiting grandchildren from two families. Eleven years old, four, barely three and a baby. The four-year-old was naked on a roof holding on to a vent pipe for hours.

We were then all sheltered and fed and clothed by the magnificent John and Dee Elliott (also of Hunt) for the remainder of that very long day. The Elliott's son, Brooks, did a scouting mission and found out that he could get us into Kerrville in his very large vehicle. We were stopped by law enforcement. Brooks explained that he was taking us to my 93-year-old Mom’s, and they let us pass. I think you can imagine how my mother felt when she saw us coming through her door. There is no way I can express my gratitude to these people for the rest of my life. Which better, by God, be very, very long.”

Amen to that.

Footnote: July 4, 2025 Flood Facts

1. The National Weather Service has updated the flood gauge for the Guadalupe River at Hunt, Texas on July 4, 2025 to reflect a record crest of 37.52 feet, the old record of 36.6 was set July 2, 1932. July is the month for flooding on this River, with the third place crest in 1987 happening on July 17, at 28.4 feet.

Floodwaters are also measured in terms of flow/speed in cubic feet per second; i.e., how many cubic feet of water pass by a specific point per second. On July 4th, the Guadalupe River at Hunt experienced a flow rate that increased from 8 CFS to 120,000 CFS in about three hours. The gauge at this location reportedly failed after reaching this level, suggesting the actual flow rate may have been even higher. On this stretch of the Guadalupe, a level of 30,000 CFS would be considered a raging flood. A measurement of 120,000 CFS is nearly impossible to comprehend.