Victim’s Final Text Message Before Flooding that Killed Over 100 People Released
- A young woman’s final text message has become a haunting symbol of the deadly flooding that tore through central Texas
- Joyce Badon sent the desperate plea moments before her home collapsed in the rising Guadalupe River, marking the beginning of a tragic search effort
- Volunteers and emergency crews have since combed through wreckage and debris, hoping to bring closure to grieving families amid widespread devastation
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A young woman’s last message has become a heartbreaking symbol of the deadly flooding that struck central Texas over the Independence Day weekend.
As the Guadalupe River rose rapidly and flooded parts of Kerr County, 20-year-old Joyce Badon sent a chilling text to her family: “We’re being washed away.” Moments later, her phone went silent.
Source: Getty Images
Joyce had gone to a country house near the river with three friends, Ella Cahill, Reese Manchaca, and Aiden Heartfield, to celebrate the July 4 holiday. Torrential rain began Thursday night and continued into Friday morning, causing the river to rise like a tsunami. Around 4am, their house collapsed. That’s when Joyce sent her final message.
Volunteer search leader Louis Deppe described the urgency of that moment:
“Their house collapsed at about 4 in the morning and they were being washed away. On her cellphone, the last message (her family) got was ‘we’re being washed away’ and the phone went dead.”
The lady's message sparked immediate search efforts as teams rushed to comb through wreckage and debris across the flood zone.
Devastating flooding rocks Kerr County
The Guadalupe River rose at an alarming rate, flooding children’s summer camps, toppling trees, and tossing vehicles around like toys.
Emergency responders and volunteers launched boats, helicopters, and ground teams to search for survivors and victims.
The destruction was overwhelming, with scenes of dead livestock in trees, rotting fish on the riverbanks, and overturned trucks scattered along the water’s edge.
In Hunt, one of the worst-hit areas, Camp Mystic, where Joyce had once been a camper, reported 11 missing children and one counsellor. Justin Morales, part of a volunteer team, later confirmed that Joyce’s body had been found, bringing some closure to her grieving family.
“We’re happy to give a family closure,” Morales said. “That’s why we’re out here.”
The search continues, but Joyce Badon’s final message stands as a stark reminder of the sudden danger and deep loss caused by nature’s fury.
In just a few words, she left behind a powerful echo of the fear felt by so many as the flood took hold.
Source: Getty Images
Floods: 170 dead, thousands rescued
Legit.ng earlier reported that residents of Nepal’s flood-hit capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday to survey the wreckage of devastating floods that have killed at least 170 people across the Himalayan republic.
Deadly rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
Entire neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were inundated over the weekend with flash floods reported in rivers coursing through the capital and extensive damage to highways connecting the city with the rest of Nepal.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
