Andrew McComb, 6, and Dr. Ralph Hugh Carey, 73, did not survive the Texas flooding. According to Texas authorities, five other people, who were washed into the Blanco River in Wimberley, are still missing.
6-year-old Andrew McComb and 73-year-old Dr. Ralph Hugh Carey died in the Texas flooding. During the memorial day weekend, severe storms hit Texas and Oklahoma causing a massive flooding that left millions of dollars of damage and took the lives of at least 30 people – 26 in Texas alone, and 11 people are still considered missing.
Among those, who vanished in Texas were 6-year-old Andrew McComb, his mother, Laura McComb, his father, Jonathan McComb and his sister, Leighton, 4.
The family was vacationing in an A-frame house in Wimberley, in the Texas Hill Country. 73-year-old Dr. Ralph Hugh Carey, his wife, Sue Carey, along with their daughter, Michelle Charba, her husband, Randy, and their 6-year-old son, Will, were also holidaying in Wimberley.
They were swept away when:
… the flood struck, late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, the Blanco River rose 28 feet in an hour and a half. It crested at more than 40 feet. The house, built on stilts, broke off and was swept away toward the Gulf of Mexico.
By some miracle, Jonathan McComb survived and was found miles away from his vacation home with a collapsed lung, a broken sternum, and broken ribs. He has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
“He said, ‘There was so much water, a big wave, we were going down the river and I lost them,'” Jonathan McComb’s brother, David, explained. “I couldn’t believe what I heard. I still can’t.”
He went on to share that 6-year-old Andrew McComb loved fishing and playing baseball with his dad while 4-year-old Leighton adored her big brother.
On Wednesday, during a press conference, Hays County emergency management coordinator Kharley Smith shared the heartbreaking news that the bodies of Andrew McComb and Ralph Hugh Carey were discovered. The remains of Michelle Carey-Charba, 43, were also found.
“We have just been notified by authorities that Dr. Ralph Hugh Carey was found and did not survive. As you can imagine, our family is absolutely devastated,” Ralph Hugh Carey’s family said in a statement.
The search continues for Andrew McComb’s mother and sister, who have not been heard from since Laura McComb called her sister on Saturday.
“We are floating in a house that is now floating down the river. Call Mom and Dad,” Mrs. McComb said in the brief call. “I love you, and pray.”
The family is holding out hope and clinging to their faith because days after the flooding, their beloved dog, Maggie, was found alive.
President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Texas.
My thoughts to the families.