In a heartbreaking scene that’s shaken the nation, two young sisters were found dead, their hands locked together, after flash floods ripped through Texas Hill Country.
Final text message
Blair and Brooke Harber, just 13 and 11 years old, were on a family getaway in Casa Bonita, a gated community in Hunt, when disaster struck early Friday morning.
The area was devastated by an intense deluge, part of the historic flooding that’s claimed dozens of lives across Texas.
According to a GoFundMe post shared by their aunt Jennifer Harber, the water began rushing in around 3:30 a.m., jolting the girls’ father, RJ Harber, awake. The rain was pounding so hard, Jennifer said, that it was nearly impossible to hear the floodwaters bursting through the door of their cabin.
At the same time, Brooke sent a final text to her dad and grandparents: “I love you.”
RJ and his wife, Annie, sprang into action. The couple shattered a window to escape their cabin, desperate to reach their daughters who were sleeping in a nearby cabin with their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber.
But the floodwaters were merciless.
RJ and Annie ran to a neighbor’s home, banged on the door, and borrowed a kayak in a last-ditch attempt to paddle to their girls. The current proved too violent. They were ultimately rescued along with five other neighbors.
Twelve hours later and 15 miles downstream, rescuers discovered Blair and Brooke. Jennifer told KLOU: “Their hands were locked together.”
The girls’ grandparents — Mike and Charlene Harber — are still missing.
Blair and Brooke were students at St. Rita’s Catholic School in Dallas, where their mother Annie works as an instructional specialist. The family had taken a brief summer trip, never imagining the horror that would unfold.
Jennifer described Blair as “a gifted student with a generous, kind heart,” while RJ said Brooke “was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment.”
Both sisters brought their rosary beads with them on the trip — a reflection of their deep faith, their family says.
The Harbers had been split between two cabins. Mike and Charlene had taken up the offer of a neighbor’s larger home so they could sleep comfortably with the girls. That decision proved fatal.
As the flood death toll in Texas climbs past 80, and more than 40 people remain missing, the Harber family is clinging to faith and memories.
Search efforts continue for the grandparents. In the meantime, a devastated father has only this heartbreaking image to hold onto: two daughters, united in love, even in their final moments.