{"id":49313,"date":"2025-07-08T18:03:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/49313\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T18:03:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:03:18","slug":"san-antonio-holds-vigil-for-hill-country-flooding-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/49313\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio holds vigil for Hill Country flooding victims"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faith leaders, elected officials and community members from San Antonio gathered downtown Monday night for a vigil remembering the victims of the Hill Country flooding that shook the area over the July Fourth holiday weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organized by Centro San Antonio, the vigil was meant to extend support to those affected by the catastrophic flooding, as well as remember the 13 lives lost during the recent flash flooding in San Antonio<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than 100 people are dead and many others are still missing across six counties and several towns northwest of San Antonio and Bexar County as a result of heavy rain and sudden flooding on the Guadalupe River<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese lights are symbolic of God\u2019s grace,\u201d Alex Lara, a pastor at Elevate Ministries, told the crowd of attendees at Travis Park as they somberly lit candles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese lights are symbolic of the light of action that needs to be taken in the midst of this tragedy. The good book, the Bible, says that if your neighbor is naked and is hungry, pray for them, but don\u2019t just pray for them. Cover their nakedness, give them something to eat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Community response\u00a0<\/p>\n

Several city leaders were also in attendance, including Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and councilmembers Sukh Kaur, Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, Edward Mungia and Misty Spears.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot imagine the grief that so many are experiencing just an hour north of us,\u201d Jones said of the flooding. \u201cThis happened too quickly and they were not resourced to deal with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"San Antonio Mayor, Gina Ortiz Jones, coducts closing remarks at a vigil held for the flood vitims of Kerville, in Travis Park. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

At the request of the governor, Jones said the city of San Antonio deployed 21 first responders, ambulances and other equipment to aid with search-and-rescue efforts in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville. San Antonio and Bexar County will keep helping as necessary, she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKerr County, Bexar County doesn\u2019t matter \u2026 what\u2019s going on in the community, that is going to be a very long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of donations, officials are asking for monetary donations instead of physical gifts, Kaur said.<\/p>\n

To learn more on how you can help victims of the Central Texas floods, read this story<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Adam Daoud, owner of Vela Coffee a couple of blocks away from the downtown park, provided coffee for vigil attendees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daoud said he\u2019d never seen \u201cflooding like this\u201d and is inspired by the immediate influx of support from the community to help with refreshments for Monday night\u2019s vigil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a small business owner and community member, we all have the responsibility of doing what we can, because little things that everyone\u2019s able to do that makes big differences,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Centro San Antonio held a vigil for the flood victims. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Lourie Larew walked to the vigil from Granada, a senior living and affordable housing complex, a few blocks away. Since she learned of the flooding through her regular morning news channel on Friday, Larew said she has not taken her eyes off the television.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI can barely walk, but I wasn\u2019t going to miss this,\u201d Larew said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the most saddest, devastating thing since the Uvalde children situation. It\u2019s horrifying, and that\u2019s why I\u2019ve come to honor and praise God and thank him for his angels that he sent to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Intimate, strong ties\u2019 to San Antonio\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least 28 of those who died over the weekend were children, many from an all-girls Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic located on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt. The river rose 20 feet within two hours on Friday, causing evacuations for hundreds of campers, vacationers and local residents in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many had ties to San Antonio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Katheryn Eads, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, was found dead after she went missing on Friday while camping on the banks of the river with her husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aidan Heartfield, a marketing student at Trinity University, is still missing as a result of the flooding. Kellyanne Lytal, the daughter of the university\u2019s football offensive coordinator Wade Lytal, and a Camp Mystic camper, has also not been found.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones as search and rescue efforts continue. We will do all we can to support them during this incredibly difficult time,\u201d the university posted Sunday on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Several of Heartfield\u2019s college friends were also in attendance at the vigil. Heartfield was staying at a house along the river in Hunt when he went missing on Friday, according to social media posts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very intimate and very strong ties to Texas Hill Country in San Antonio,\u201d said Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of Centro. \u201cWhether it is familial, whether it is ranching, whether it is camping, or whether it is economic development, our neighbors to the north are a part of San Antonio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Archbishop Gustavo Garc\u00eda-Siller conducts a small service at a vigil held for the flood victims. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Archbishop Gustavo Garc\u00eda-Siller traveled to Kerrville on Friday and Sunday after the flooding to comfort families and offer spiritual guidance. He was in the room with families who were waiting to hear updates about their missing loved ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The experience, Garc\u00eda-Siller said, brought out a vulnerability in him that made it easier to be compassionate. <\/p>\n

His call to vigil attendants was simply to be \u201cpresent\u201d for all the victims, including the young campers, local residents and campground workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThough we may not have known them personally, we can honor them in our hearts and in our altars,\u201d Garc\u00eda-Siller said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this moment, many questions press upon us. Why did this happen? How do we move forward? Our first duty is to be present.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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