The Guadalupe River, already spilling over its banks on July 4, 2025, (left), rose to a record breaking 47.4 feet on July 5 (right). / Credit: Sophie Abuzeid
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 7, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).
Two sisters who attended St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas were among the victims of the Texas Hill Country flash floods that have devastated parts of the state, the school confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
Blair Harber, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were vacationing with their parents and grandparents on the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. The flash flood raised the river more than 22 feet in half an hour in the early morning hours of July 4, dislodging and carrying away their cabin, in which they were staying with their grandparents.
They were discovered in Kerrville, 15 miles from their cabin community, with their hands clasped together, according to reports.
Their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, have yet to be found.
According to a message shared by their aunt, Jennifer, on a GoFundMe page started for the Harber family, the girls' parents, who were staying five cabins away from their children, awoke at around 3:30 a.m. on Friday to the sound of the storm and were forced to break a window in their cabin to escape. The girls' father, RJ, had attempted to kayak to the girls' cabin, but the water was too high and he was forced to turn around.
The family reported receiving text messages from the girls sent as their cabin filled with water.
"Brooke texted my brother [her father], her grandmother and grandfather on Annie's side, saying 'I love you' at 3:30 a.m.," the girls' aunt wrote. "Blair and I had a conversation about God and heaven two weeks earlier. They had their rosaries with them."
The two girls will have a joint funeral at St. Rita's at a date that will be determined after their grandparents have also been found, according to the aunt's message.
"We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken," she concluded. "Prayers are much appreciated and what we needed at this time."
'Young women of deep faith'
"Blair and Brooke were young women of deep faith, and religion was one of their favorite subjects. On the night they died, they went to the loft of their cabin with their rosaries," the school said in its statement. "Even in their last moments, they held tightly to each other, a powerful symbol of their lasting bond and their trust in God."
The two Catholic sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, who lost their lives in the devastating Kerr County floods, were found with their hands locked together and, according to their aunt Jennifer Harber, had their rosaries with them—they were believers, and one of their favorite… pic.twitter.com/1TpgcLgM3Y
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) July 7, 2025
The school remembered Blair as having "the kindest heart" and for being an "an outstanding student," who was both "enrolled in advanced classes and actively involved in school activities."
Blair played several sports, including volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, and cheerleading. She was also a student ambassador, a member of the yearbook committee, and was involved in the school's speech and drama program.
"Brooke was an excellent student who brought joy and energy wherever she went," the school said of the younger of the two sisters. Like her sister, Brooke was also actively involved in sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse, and was "known for her spirit and determination." Brooke also loved speech and drama, "and had a particular gift for improv that brought smiles and laughter to those around her," the school said.
"In this time of deep sorrow, we stay grounded in our faith and united in love. We will stand with the Harber family in the days to come, surrounding them with our prayers, compassion, and unwavering support," the school said, adding: "As a community of faith, we hold onto the hope and promise that Christ has defeated death, and that eternal life is waiting for those who love him."
Background
Flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country began in the early hours of July 4. Heavy rainfall filled the creeks that emptied into the several rivers that wind through the normally arid hills known as the Texas Hill Country, located north and west of San Antonio and Austin.
The Guadalupe River near where the girls had been staying rose so quickly that the National Weather Service's evacuation orders were not issued in time to evacuate. The river swelled over 22 feet in half an hour around 4 a.m. on July 4, according to local officials, devastating parts of the towns of Hunt, Kerrville, and Comfort.
A girls' Christian summer camp in the area, Camp Mystic, has confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and counselors that had been missing, including an entire cabin of 8- and 9- year-old girls, according to local reports, bringing the overall death toll to at least 89 people. At least 850 people have been rescued. Ten campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for, according to CNN.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio said a memorial Mass for the victims on July 6 at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville.
President Donald Trump declared Kerr County a disaster area on July 6.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 15 counties on July 4, deploying more than 500 first responders, 14 helicopters, boats, high water vehicles, and drones. Abbott pledged at a press conference in Kerrville on Friday that rescuers "will stop at nothing" to find every victim of the catastrophic flooding.
Rivers continued to rise through the holiday weekend. In the early hours of Saturday, July 5, the Guadalupe River rose to a record 47.4 feet in Bergheim, Texas, about 50 miles from Kerrville.
