On the Texas Floods

Some considerations on the recent disaster:

Over the July 4 holiday weekend in America, tragedy struck central Texas with unprecedented rainfalls and flooding. As of now some 100 deaths have been recorded, and a dozen people are still missing. Searches for victims are still ongoing, but it has been a real blow to Texas and America. And especially difficult to deal with is how a Christian summer camp at the centre of all this has been impacted.

Some 750 campers were at Camp Mystic when the rapidly rising flood waters overran the camp and the surrounding areas along the Guadalupe River in the dark of night. Imagine the shock and terror as so many young girls had to deal with this in what had normally been a terrific summertime experience.

One can record various responses to this ongoing event. Some have been encouraging, heart-warming and praiseworthy. But regrettably not all of them have been. Some have been shameful and deplorable. Here are some of the reactions and responses to this horrific event.

The good

There are many tales emerging of bravery, heroism, courage and self-sacrifice as Texans sprang into action to seek to save those who were involved in this mass-casualty event. One brave worker for example is said to have been involved in the rescue of 165 people. Said one media report:

A US Coast Guard rescuer has been hailed as an “American hero” by the Trump administration after he saved 165 people from extreme floods in Texas. Scott Ruskan, 26, a helicopter rescue swimmer from New Jersey, was praised for his life-saving efforts after he was deployed on his first mission to evacuate children from Camp Mystic in Texas. At least 82 people died after thunderstorms caused the Guadalupe River to surge Friday.

 

Ruskan, who was given the role of triage at the scene, leapt into action and was seen on video being airlifted from the roof of a building submerged in deep flood water, reports the New York Post. He told the Post: “This is what it’s all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job. This is why we take those risks all the time. This is why like Coast Guard men and women are risking their lives every day.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hero-coast-guard-rescue-camp-mystic-texas-b2783897.html

And then consider the Christian camp director who perished while doing all he could to rescue the young girls. One Christian media site says this about his bravery and faith in action:

As the search continues for the dozens of people still missing in central Texas after devastating floods pounded the region, the director of Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for giving his life as he attempted to save others. . . . Richard “Dick” Eastland, the camp director and co-owner, is being remembered as a hero after reportedly rushing to save as many campers as he could before his death. 

 

His grandson, George, confirmed Eastland’s passing in a social media post, which has since been taken down, sharing he died trying to save the campers “he so loved and cared for.” The private Christian summer camp was hosting nearly 750 campers when floodwaters suddenly ravaged the campsite in the early morning hours.

 

The 99-year-old Camp Mystic has a rich history with camp attendees including political elites such as the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. The facility was built in 1926, but Eastland and his wife, Tweety, bought the property in 1974 becoming the third generation of the family to operate the all-girls Christian camp.

 

On the morning of July 4, Eastland reportedly worked to evacuate young girls who were trapped in cabins inundated by rapidly rising flood waters. The 70-year-old and five campers were swept away by rushing waters, but were later found alive a few miles down the river. Eastland died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post.

The write-up continues:

Former campers, counselors, and even politicians who knew Eastland honored him for his last heroic act. “Camp Mystic’s Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, wrote on X. “For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you, Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you.”

 

Pfluger’s two daughters were at the summer camp, Fox News reports. The family has since been united. Page Sumber, a former camper and friend of Eastland, wrote in the Kerrville Daily Times that the camp director was a father figure to many. 

 

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers. He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic,” she wrote. Katharine Somerville, a camp counselor at Camp Mystic’s Cypress Lake location, told Fox News the father of four was one of the “most selfless men in the whole world.”

 

“He was an inspiration to so, so many,” she said. “He was a father figure, a comforting force in the uncertainty of everything. He guided us in our faith and our activities. He always told us to make new friends and to share our love with everyone.” Tara Bradburn’s daughter has attended the camp since she was in the second grade. https://cbn.com/news/us/christian-camp-director-hailed-hero-last-act-kindness-and-sacrifice-saving-girls

Undoubtedly in the days ahead many more tales of heroism and extreme bravery will be forthcoming. Without meaning to be glib about all this, it is often only in times of real tragedy and devastation that we see these great virtues coming out.

Just as the Christian virtue and fruit of the Spirit longsuffering only emerges while suffering long, so too in times of war or national disaster we can see these great virtues arising. Please keep Eastland’s family in your prayers, along with all the others.

The bad and the ugly

Sadly, during this time of horrible suffering and death, not everyone is to be commended and praised. There have actually been some rather demented individuals and organisations seeking to politicise all this. As to organisations, one can always count on the CNN to make everything political, and to seek to score as many points against Trump as possible.

Consider this glaring – and ugly – contrast: Recall how strong winds and flooding from Hurricane Helene caused over 100 deaths in North Carolina in late September 2024. Many people there who were impacted by all this were complaining about the lack of help from the Federal government.

Yet Dana Bash of CNN spent plenty of airtime back then aggressively defending the Biden/Harris response – or lack thereof – saying this tragedy should not be politicised. But within a day or two after the Texas flooding, there she was, politicising the government’s response, blaming Trump for what took place. She claimed budget cuts by the Trump administration were responsible for ‘climate change’ and this disaster! Good grief.

Typical CNN. If Bash and other CNN workers burned their toast in the morning, they would likely find a way to blame Trump. And if Trump found a cure for cancer, you can rest assured that these clowns at CNN and other lamestream media outlets would castigate him for this.

But perhaps even worse than this was something a Texas Trump-hater and pediatrician had said after the disaster. Commentator Todd Starnes provides us with this shocking report:

A Houston pediatrician has been fired after she suggested that the children of Trump supporters who died in the Hill Country floods got what they deserved. “May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry,” Dr. Christina Propst wrote on social media.

 

I can’t even begin to imagine the sort of demonic evil that would cause a person to celebrate the deaths of children. The lack of humanity in this woman is beyond the pale. She’s a monster with a stethoscope. “Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA,” the doctor continued. “They deny climate change. May they get what they voted for. Bless their hearts.” The doctor had been employed by Blue Fish Pediatrics. She had been placed on administrative leave over the weekend, but now “the individual is no longer employed by Blue Fish Pediatrics.”

 

“As we previously mentioned in our original statement, we strongly condemn the comments that were made in that post,” the medical center’s leadership team said in a statement posted on its website. “That post does not reflect the values, standards, or mission of Blue Fish Pediatrics. We do not support or condone any statement that politicizes tragedy, diminishes human dignity, or fails to clearly uphold compassion for every child and family, regardless of background or beliefs.” https://www.toddstarnes.com/values/houston-doctor-celebrates-drownings-of-maga-children-in-texas/

When you have that much irrational hatred for the President, you are clearly in a moral and spiritual twilight zone. We can pray for her that she gets on her face before almighty God and repents of her sins and turns to him for forgiveness and a new heart.

And we of course must pray for all the families impacted by this tragic flooding. Texas Governor Greg Abbott was quite right to declare Sunday a Day of Prayer in Texas. In a statement he said: “Texans are known for their faith, strength, and resilience. Even as floodwaters raged, neighbors rushed in to rescue, comfort, and bring hope. In times of loss, we turn to God for comfort, healing, and strength. I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday—for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines.”

At times like this when such disasters occur, Christians are often at a loss to explain just why such things happen. They can pray and trust God, but plenty of questions will always remain. I too have no clear answers here, and I can only repeat something that I have often shared before. The words of the great British preacher Charles Spurgeon seem to be the best thing we can run with at a time like this:

“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart. When you are so weak that you cannot do much more than cry, you coin diamonds with both your eyes. The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love.”

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