Texas Hill Country Floods Kill Up to 27

Jane Ragsdale, longtime co-owner and director of Heart O' the Hills girls' summer camp in Kerr County, Texas, was confirmed among the victims of catastrophic flash flooding that hit the region on Friday. Ragsdale, who started at the camp in the 1970s and became director in 1988, was on site when the rapidly rising Guadalupe River left her unable to escape, though all others present were accounted for. The camp was not in session at the time. The flooding in the Texas Hill Country has resulted in 24 to 27 confirmed deaths, including children, with ongoing searches for missing persons, particularly at nearby Camp Mystic. Ragsdale was widely celebrated for her leadership and for receiving the Pioneer Trailblazer Award and the national Speedy Altman Award. The disaster has led to widespread grief and tributes from the camp community and beyond.