In the aftermath of Texas’ catastrophic flooding, one image lingers painfully in Lorena Guillen’s mind—a father holding his children as the raging waters took them.
Guillen, who owns Blue Oak RV Park where the tragedy occurred, described how John Burges refused to let go of his kids even as rescuers begged him to. “He just kept holding them,” she said, her voice breaking. “Then the water took all three.”
The Burges family had been vacationing at the park for the Fourth of July. Their teenage daughter, away at camp, is now their only surviving child.
That night, Guillen heard the first screams as the flood hit. Cabins tore from their foundations, and within minutes, the park was underwater. “People were being crushed against trees,” she recalled. “The sounds… I’ll never forget them.”
At nearby Camp Mystic, director Dick Eastland also met a heroic end, dying while protecting campers. His family takes solace knowing his final acts were spent saving others.
As Texas begins the long recovery, these stories of love and sacrifice will endure long after the floodwaters fade.
