(CNN) Julian Ryan said, “I love you,” to his mother as floodwaters swiftly swamped their trailer home.
In an instant, he decided to stick his arm through a window to save his fiancé, two small children, and mother from the devastating flood that was engulfing everything in its path as it tore through Kerr County, Texas.
He ultimately lost his life as a result of his valiant last-ditch effort. His arm had an artery sliced by the glass.
Connie Salas, Ryan’s sister, told CNN that Ryan’s mother held him while he bled and breathed his final breath.
Salas said he died a hero’s death.
Surging floodwaters unexpectedly destroyed the area, including a campsite full of sleeping youngsters, in the dark, storm-lashed hours before dawn Friday. Homes, cars, campsites, and cabins were swept downstream by the neighboring Guadalupe River, which surged more than 20 feet after four months of rain in a matter of hours.
The full impact of the catastrophe became apparent as the storm subsided and the sun rose. As the minutes turned into hours, hope gave way to sorrow as hundreds went missing, including more than two dozen girls at a summer camp.
According to local officials, the death toll from the devastating Texas floods is still rising at over 110, including at least 30 children. It wasn’t until the floods subsided that Ryan’s body was found, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.
The enormity of the tragedy is now being faced by Ryan’s family and their devastated Texas town, who are now looking for answers.
What we know about the victims is as follows.
A father of two and his final heroic act
For Ryan, it had been a long shift. According to The New York Times, the 27-year-old dishwasher had returned home after wrapping up his job at a nearby restaurant in Ingram, Texas.
When rushing floodwaters smashed through their mobile home, he was finally asleep.
Within seconds, the force of the torrent caused their front door to give way and burst open. Ryan and his fiancé put their 6-year-old and 13-month-old on the floating mattresses to keep them above the increasing flood as the water rose to their chests.
However, the water continued to rise. The pressure from the opposite side kept the bedroom door from moving.
Ryan broke a window in a last-ditch effort to escape with his family during those horrifying hours. According to his fiancée Christinia Wilson, he suffered significant injuries after the glass ripped into his arm.
She claimed that the glass nearly severed his arm.
Ryan glanced at them after several 911 calls went unanswered and said, “I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it.” All of you are loved.
There was no notice and no time to take action, his sister, who lost her home and lived a few feet away from him, said CNN. About an hour before the surging Guadalupe River exploded from its banks, at 4:03 a.m., Kerr County was placed under a flash flood emergency alert. Who could see them and how fast they could get to higher ground were both constrained by the late-night warnings.
“We didn’t have time to save ourselves physically,” Salas stated. She said, “I’m scared,” as our final words. “Me too,” he adds.
Salas claims that the family, particularly their mother, who witnessed Ryan’s last breath and was present for his dying moments, is grieving deeply and finding it difficult to cope.
My mother was still holding up her son when he looked at her and said, “I love you,” as they were genuinely in a panic and on the verge of drowning. My mother experiences the sorrow of saying goodbye to her baby and cuddling him as he draws his final breath.
According to Salas, the family feels as though they are stuck in a nightmare from which they are unable to escape; they live in a world in which Ryan will never again enter the house and act like the humorous person he is.
Camp Mystic campers
Photos of the destruction reveal that the massive flooding at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River that houses roughly 750 children, appeared to have torn the wall off at least one building and left a cabin covered in mud and dirt with girls’ mattresses scattered across the floor. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, described the camp as being completely destroyed. He claimed that as the flowing water reached the top of the cabins, he was astounded.
The camp reported on Monday that 27 campers and counselors had died. According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, five campers and one counselor who were present at the facility are still unaccounted for.
Dick Eastland, the camp’s longtime director and co-owner, passed away on Saturday while attempting to save campers, according to his grandson. According to Glenn Juenke, a Camp Mystic staffer, Eastland died a real hero right up until the very end.
Numerous campers’ relatives attested that their kids were among the dead. One of the young lives lost was Hadley Hanna, who her mother described as the happiest, most content child with a smile on her face. A representative for the family requested prayers and privacy for the 8-year-old’s family.
Our families are going through unspeakable sorrow. In a statement to CNN on Monday, the family stated, “We are reaching out with a heartfelt request for privacy and compassion.” We value your understanding, prayers, and compassion.
Renee Smajstrla, age 8, Eloise Peck, age 8, Linnie McCown, age 8, Janie Hunt, age 9, Sarah Mash, and Lila Bonner all had their deaths confirmed by their families.
Shawn Salta, Smajstrla’s uncle, told CNN that it’s just devastating.
Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama expressed her heartbreak over Sarah Marsh’s passing in a Facebook post.
During this unfathomable moment, Britt added, her family is in our prayers and thoughts.
The Bonner family released a statement saying, “We ask for privacy in the midst of our unimaginable grief and are unable to confirm any details at this time.” We are incessantly praying for others to be spared from this terrible loss, and we are grieving for everyone who loved her.
2 young sisters who had a close bond
On the night they died, 13-year-old and 11-year-old sisters Blair and Brooke Harber went to the loft of their cabin holding their rosaries a string of beads used by Catholics to count prayers.
The next morning, their bodies were found together 15 miles downriver,according to a statement from St. Rita Catholic School, where the girls were set to begin 6th and 8th grade this year.
According to the school’s statement, they clung to one another to the very end, which is a potent representation of their enduring relationship and faith in God.
Blair and Brooke had been staying with their grandparents along the Guadalupe River when the tragedy unfolded. Their grandparents remain missing while their parents, who were staying in a separate cabin, survived, the school s statement said.
RJ Harber, the sisters’ father, told CNN on Saturday that they had passed away. He said he believes his missing parents Charlene and Mike Harber are also deceased.
According to RJ Harber, Blair was a talented student with a kind and giving heart. (Brooke) was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment.
The school described Blair as an outstanding student with the kindest heart and loved to serve others. She played volleyball, basketball, lacrosse and was a member of the cheerleading team, yearbook staff and speech and drama program.
Brooke, the school said, was an excellent student who brought joy and energy wherever she went. She played soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse and had a special gift for improv.
Blair and Brooke s mother, Annie Harber, is a faculty member at St. Rita Catholic School.
The Harber family has been a cherished part of our parish and school community for many years, the school said. This tragedy has touched every corner of our hearts.
A girls camp director who loved to sing
Jane Ragsdale was the heart and soul of Heart O the Hills, another all-girls camp in Hunt, Texas, according to the camp s website.
The co-owner and camp director, Ragsdale died during the floods. She had influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful, the camp said.
The camp, set alongside the Guadalupe River, was not in session at the time of the flooding, and most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground, according to anannouncementfrom the camp.
A video last month shows Ragsdale playing the guitar and singing with campers. She sings the song Let There Always Be A Song .
When you sing you say, life is good today, she sings. So keep singing till we meet again.
A high school soccer coach and his wife
Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach. The head coach of the Tivy High School s boys soccer team was a mentor, teacher and a role model, the team said on Facebook.
They added they were mourning the loss of our leader and inspiration.
Zunker died in this holiday weekend s flooding tragedy, his niece told CNN. Mackenzey Zunker said her father identified her uncle s body Saturday evening.
Paula Zunker, Reece s wife, also died, according to the soccer team s statement anda postby Recce Zunker s cousin, Haley Furlough.
The couple s two children remain unaccounted for, Furlough wrote.
A loving grandmother who helped foster care children
Dr. Katheryn Eads, another victim of the Texas floods, lived a fulfilling life, cut far too short, her daughter Victoria Eads told CNN in a family statement.
She was an incredible wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and person who spent her life helping kids, the statement continued.
Eads assisted children in the foster care system in her early career and continued on as a psychologist and a college professor, her daughter told CNN.
Trying to figure out our lives without her is a possibility we never planned to face and we will always miss her.
A doting grandmother who loved the river
Holly Frizzell, who died in the flood, had a personality that was larger than life-magnetic, warm, and unforgettable, her family wrotein an obituary posted by Hamil Funeral Home.
Frizzell, 72, had a home in Casa Bonita and loved the Guadalupe River where she found peace, joy, and reflection, the obituary said.
It was where she laughed with her family and friends, made memories with her grandchildren, and sat quietly by the river, the family wrote.
Frizzell lost her husband, who had been diagnosed with dementia, in 2015. After his death, she became an advocate for people battling dementia and Alzheimer s.
Frizzell s grandchildren were the center of her universe, her obituary said.
We will all miss her more than words can express and cherish the gift of having been loved by her, the family said.
A Camp Mystic counselor and mentor
Chloe Childress, a 19-year-old counselor at Camp Mystic and recent high school graduate, was killed during the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, her family confirmed.
Our family was shocked to hear of the horrific tragic flooding in the Hill Country, and we were devastated to learn that our precious Chloe was among the victims, the family said in a statement shared withCNNaffiliateKHOU.
Childress recently graduated from The Kinkaid School in Houston,according to CNN affiliate KTRK, and was spending her summer mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic. She was set to attend college at the University of Texas at Austin,KTRK reported.
Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls, her family said. While we know that her joy is now eternal and her faith has become sight, our hearts are shattered by this loss and the similar heartbreak of other families like ours.
Jonathan Eades, head of The Kinkaid School, remembered Childress as someone with the ability to connect with others.
Chloe had a remarkable way of making people feel seen, Eades said in a statement with KTRK. She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room She lost her life upholding this selfless and fierce commitment to others.
