A River Took Them: The Texas Floods, the 4th of July, and the Wake-Up Call We Can’t Ignore

It was supposed to be a day of celebration.

Fireworks. Cookouts. Laughter by the water.

But on July 4, 2025, while much of the US nation was honoring Independence Day, families in Central Texas were living through a nightmare. In the early hours, a wall of water tore through the Guadalupe River, catching dozens of families and children off guard — ripping through camps, cabins, and lives.

Among the worst-hit was Camp Mystic, a beloved summer camp where girls as young as eight had gathered to make memories. Instead, their parents are now living through the unimaginable: waiting for news, clinging to hope, or mourning a future lost too soon.

They Were Just Girls

We don’t usually say their names. But we should.

Renee Smajstrla, 8 years old.
Lila Bonner, gone at just 11.
Dozens more still missing, many of them little girls with their whole lives ahead of them.

They were camping, swimming, singing songs under the Texas stars. They should be alive.

Instead, they were swept away by flash floods so powerful they destroyed roads, toppled trees, and swallowed entire buildings.

One parent told People Magazine, “We sent our daughter off to camp full of joy. Now we're praying we get her back”. It's the kind of sentence that shouldn’t exist.

This Isn’t Just a Tragedy. It’s a Warning.

Flash floods aren’t new to Texas but their intensity is. Scientists have been sounding the alarm for years: warmer air holds more moisture, and climate change is turning rainfall into sudden, deadly torrents.

On that morning, a powerful weather system — supercharged by leftover moisture from Tropical Storm Barry — dumped 5 to 15 inches of rain in just hours. A peaceful river became a force of destruction.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. Across the U.S., flood disasters are on the rise. Last year alone saw over 90 flash flood emergencies — more than any year on record. The climate is shifting. And it’s hitting home - everywhere.

What Has the U.S. Government Done? Walked Away.

While families bury their children, the current U.S. administration has done the opposite of what this moment demands: it has stepped back from climate responsibility.

Since coming into office in January 2025, this administration has:

• Withdrawn from the Paris Agreement once again

• Dismantled the White House climate policy office

• Eliminated the federal task force tracking climate damage

• Slashed funding for clean energy, green jobs, and emissions tracking

• Accelerated fossil fuel approvals and called for a “national energy emergency” to drill more, faster

• Blocked state-level climate actions

They didn’t just hit pause on climate progress. They hit reverse.

Texas: Oil Country, and Now a Symbol of Why We Must Change

There’s a bitter irony in all this. Texas is America’s fossil fuel giant. A proud emblem of oil, gas, and energy dominance. But it’s also ground zero for the destruction that fossil fuels are unleashing on our climate.

Nowhere is the cost clearer than in those floodwaters. What began in oilfields ends in tragedies like this.

We talk about transition like it’s optional. Like it’s something we’ll do “eventually”. But nature is screaming that eventually is already too late.

No Parent Should Ever Have to Feel This

No government should ever be this unprepared.
And no country should ever look away.

There is a sacred responsibility in leadership — to protect. To prevent. To prioritize life over profit. Progress isn’t GDP. It’s keeping our children alive and giving them a future worth living for.

It’s too late for Lila. For Renee. But it’s not too late for the rest.

We Can’t Bring Them Back. But We Can Choose Differently.

This can be the moment when silence ends.

This can be the moment when grief turns to action — fueled not just by sorrow, but by love. Love for our children. Love for the places we live. Love for this planet.

We owe it to every family touched by this flood — and every family still in harm’s way.

No more excuses. No more rollback. No more pretending that climate disasters are far away or far off.

They’re here. And they’re killing children.

We can honor them by changing course.

What You Can Do:

• Call your representatives. Demand renewed climate leadership and flood resilience investments.

• Support organizations helping flood victims and advocating for climate justice.

• Share this story. Break the silence. Refuse to let this tragedy be just another headline.

🕊️ In memory of every child lost on July 4, 2025.