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1987 Texas Flood Survivors Reflect on Nearly 40 Years of Loss, Faith and Hope Amid Tragedy

COMFORT, TEXAS, JUL 7 – Rev. Richard Koons recalls the 1987 flood that killed 10 campers as nearly 30 died in the recent Camp Mystic flood with similar rapid Guadalupe River rises, officials said.

  • On July 17, 1987, an intense downpour delivered a foot of rain within three quarters of an hour, causing the Guadalupe River in Texas to flood swiftly and trap campers from the Pot O’ Gold Ranch camp in Comfort during their evacuation efforts.
  • The evacuation followed an early morning order due to flood risk, but a bus stalled in a foot of water and a following van was partly submerged as water rose quickly to about 35 feet, moving at 70 miles per hour.
  • Ten teenagers died, one was never found, and thirty-three people were rescued by boat, military helicopter, and a local news helicopter while survivors formed human chains and climbed trees amid the fast-moving floodwaters.
  • Richard Koons, a 26-year-old youth pastor at the time who lost sight of his wife and several students, described the flood as a 'massive wall of water' and has carried the weight of that day for nearly 40 years.
  • Koons and his wife founded E3 Ministries to offer support by sharing their survival story and grief, emphasizing that survivors must live on and communities should surround families with love amid deep, lasting loss.
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New York Post broke the news in New York, United States on Monday, July 7, 2025.
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