They clung to trees. They crawled out of windows and floated on mattresses. And they survived to tell the harrowing story of the catastrophic flooding that struck central Texas over the weekend and killed dozens,

A search for Texas flood survivors intensified as Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for nearly two dozen Texas counties.

The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles.

Julian Ryan’s final words to his mother, as floodwaters quickly engulfed their trailer home, were simply, “I love you.”

The Hunt family is grieving after the devastating flooding tragedy in Texas. The death toll stands at 70 from massive rains in central Texas that led to catastrophic July 4 flooding of the Guadalupe River — and the losses includes 9-year-old Janie Hunt.

One local summer camp in the path of the disastrous flooding in central Texas was able to avoid any loss of life by closely monitoring weather reports