As Texas grapples with one of the deadliest natural disasters in its history, stories of heartbreak and hope continue to emerge—none more stirring than that of Keli Rabon and her two young sons, Braeden and Brock Davis. The boys, just 9 and 7 years old, had only been at Camp La Junta for a single day when the floodwaters came roaring through the Texas Hill Country, claiming more than 100 lives and leaving entire communities submerged in grief.
What began as an exciting summer adventure quickly turned into a nightmare. “I didn’t really know what was going on,” said Braeden, his voice still tinged with disbelief as he spoke to CBS Mornings. “Until the camp director came into our cabin and told us there was a flood, I didn’t understand how serious it was.”
But for younger brother Brock, the danger was immediate and terrifying. Woken by strange sounds and the flicker of a flashlight, he saw water rushing past their cabin. He had to climb from his lower bunk to the rafters above—scrambling to safety as water filled the space below. Their mother, Keli, would later call it “the most terrifying thing a child should ever have to endure.”
Back home, Keli received only a short text from the camp: the area had flooded, but everyone was safe. Yet something didn’t sit right. “I started searching and saw the devastation in the Hill Country,” she said. “It was far worse than I could have imagined. So I just got in the car and drove.”
The Guadalupe River, usually a tranquil ribbon through the landscape, rose 26 feet in less than an hour—flattening trees, washing away cabins, and sweeping away anything in its path. The camp’s loss of power and cell service left parents like Keli in an information blackout, driving toward the disaster zone with only hope as their compass.
When she finally reunited with her sons, the moment was pure relief—but it came with a heavy heart. “I felt joy, but also a kind of survivor’s guilt,” she admitted. “Because while I got to hold my boys again, I knew other parents were still searching… or grieving.”
Among those who weren’t as fortunate were 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, just miles down the river. Many of them young girls, their lives were claimed in the same sudden flood. In all, at least 104 people are confirmed dead, with dozens still missing.
As the communities of Kerrville and Hunt mourn, Keli is using her voice to call for unity, prayer, and national attention. “There are kids from all over the country who go to these camps. So many families are hurting,” she said. “We just ask that the nation wraps its arms around us.”
Amid the destruction, the Davis family’s story is a beacon of gratitude—a fragile, precious moment of reunion in a sea of loss. But it’s also a call to action. As Texas begins to rebuild, the memories of those lost, and the miracle of those saved, will shape the path forward—one prayer, one family, one story at a time.
