Clark Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs owner, and his loved ones are among the many grieving after 9-year-old Janie Hunt, a young relative, was one of the victims of the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas over the weekend.
Janie was attending Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp nestled along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, when torrential rains caused the river to swell. In just 45 minutes, the river rose 26 feet, fueled by nearly 10 inches of rain that fell in a matter of hours.
CNN reported that as of Monday, the death toll had climbed to at least 89, with many others still unaccounted for.
Tavia Hunt, Clark Hunt’s wife, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, expressing both grief and deep faith.
“Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives — including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friends’ little girls,” she wrote.
Tavia’s message didn’t shy away from the heavy spiritual question that often follow in the wake of tragedy: “How do we trust a God who is supposed to be good, all knowing and all powerful, but who allows such terrible things to happen — even to children,” she said.
She turned to multiple scriptures in search of comfort and strength, offering words of solace to others suffering in the aftermath.
“If your heart is broken, I assure you God is near,” she said. “He is gentle with your wounds. And He is still worthy—even when your soul is struggling to believe it. Trust doesn’t mean you’re over the pain; it means you’re handing it to the only One who can hold it with love and restore what was lost. For we do not grieve as those without hope.”
Roughly 750 children were attending Camp Mystic at the time of the flooding. The camp confirmed that at least 27 campers and counselors lost their lives, and several others remain missing. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha reported that 10 campers and one counselor were still unaccounted for as of Monday.
In a public statement posted to their website, Camp Mystic expressed its sorrow: “Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level. We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.”
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN that no warning was given about the scale of the rainfall or the risk of such catastrophic flooding.
“It all happened upriver at the worst possible place,” Herring said. “And I think everyone in Kerrville, everyone in Kerr County wishes to God we had some way to warn them. To warn those people. I’ve lost two friends. We loved them and they’re gone. You know they’re gone. Everyone here, if we could’ve warned them we would have done so. And we didn’t even have a warning. We did not know.”
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