As more information comes in about the flooding tragedy in Texas, we are starting to learn about some crushing connections.
Late last week, torrential rain in Kerr County, Texas led to terrible flooding. As of Monday, according to CNN and other outlets, at least 82 people — including 28 children — have died in the floods. That includes a group of 27 young girls and their counselors at Camp Mystic in the county not far outside San Antonio. And there are at least eleven campers and a counselor still unaccounted for as of this writing on Monday afternoon, multiple outlets have reported.
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On Monday’s episode of Today, host Jenna Bush Hager tragically brought her own experience to the reporting. Alongside co-host Craig Melvin, she revealed a few crushing connections to Camp Mystic. For one, her own mother — former First Lady Laura Bush — was a counselor at Camp Mystic back in the day. Whoa.
And not only that, but Jenna revealed she has “so many” friends who were raised at Camp Mystic, and in turn sent their own kids to Camp Mystic. The 43-year-old mother said she dropped her own kids — Mila, 12, Poppy, 9, and Hal, 5, whom she shares with husband Henry Hager — off at another Texas camp days ago, but several of her friends had sent their children to Camp Mystic just last week.
Of Camp Mystic, she said this while fighting back tears:
“So many of my friends were raised at this camp. Many of my friends had their kids there. Texas camps are institutions, as you just heard, where many family members, generations — this camp was 100 years old — so grandmothers, mothers, kids, have all gone there.”
The longtime owner of Camp Mystic, Dick Eastland, was killed in the flooding as he tried to save campers from raging waters. Jenna spoke highly of him, and his family, during the broadcast:
“That family, the Eastland family, is Texas royalty. They raised so many girls. So many of my friends said he was their summer father. He looked out for campers. He raised girls to be brave and loving. His legacy will live on.”
She tried to be optimistic during the difficult live television moment:
“Texas has a type of resilience. They’re generous people, where people want to reach out and help. Texas camps are really special.”
But in the end, she broke our hearts with these poignant words:
“We send our kids into the world with the faith that they can [have] happy lives, joyful lives, and as adults, we know pain. We hope our kids never face it.”
You can see her full emotional reaction (below):
And watch more on Camp Mystic’s incredible history, and the flooding tragedy it is now suffering through:
Such a terrible situation. Our hearts are truly and completely broken.
R.I.P.
[Image via Carrie Devorah/WENN/Today Show/YouTube/YouTube]
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