Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt’s eldest daughter Gracie has sent a heartfelt message to the people of Texas after losing a young relative in the devastating floods which swept through the state last week.
Over 100 people have died after the Guadalupe River in Kerr County flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level in the early hours of July 4, with a total of 84 bodies recovered at the time of writing – including 28 children.
On Monday the operators of Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they have lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Kerr County officials added that 10 campers and one counselor have still not been found.
Amid the heartbreaking situation in Texas, Gracie’s mom, Tavia, revealed on Sunday that Janie Hunt – a young cousin in their family – was among the Camp Mystic campers who died.
‘How do we trust a God who is supposed to be good, all knowing and all powerful, but who allows such terrible things to happen — even to children?’ Tavia asked while saying the family’s ‘hearts are broken’ for their extended family and friends who have also lost loved ones in the floods.
Gracie, 26, posed a similar religious question when speaking out on the tragedy on Monday, while admitting her ‘heart aches’ for victims of the disaster.
Kansas City Chiefs heiress Gracie Hunt says her ‘heart aches’ after the tragic loss of a family member in the Texas floods
Janie Hunt (pictured) – a nine-year-old cousin in the family – died in the floods at Camp Mystic
Gracie shared a religious message on Instagram while expressing her grief over the tragedy
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‘Praying for Texas,’ she initially wrote on Instagram before continuing, ‘Some days, it’s hard to understand how the world can hold both so much beauty and so much pain.
‘How can the same God who created the stars and set the planets in motion allow such deep suffering? The truth is, we live in a broken world—one that groans for redemption (Romans 8). But Scripture promises that one day, Christ will make all things new—a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13).’
She then added: ‘My heart aches for our extended family and friends who lost daughters—for every life lost and every family shattered by the floods in Texas.
‘I don’t have easy answers, but I do know this: following Jesus doesn’t spare us from pain—but it means we never face it alone.
‘Even in the darkest valleys, we hold on to the hope that this is not the end of the story.’
Gracie went on to quote two other inspirational pᴀssages from the Bible on ‘not losing heart’ and ‘fearing no evil’ amid moments of darkness.
Over the weekend it was announced that beloved director of Camp Mystic, Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, 70, died while trying to save girls as a month’s worth of rain dropped in a matter of minutes.
One week before the tragedy, the camp shared videos on social media of the campers happily prancing around on stage during their first term chorus and dance production.
Tavia Hunt (right) – wife of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt – confirmed that one of their family members was among the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in flooding in Texas on Sunday
Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after ᴅᴇᴀᴅly flooding in Kerr County, Texas
The youngest campers slept on low-laying ‘flats’ inside the camp’s cabins, whereas older girls slept in cabins on higher ground, according to the NYT.
Most of the missing girls are from the younger age bracket, who were sleeping just yards away from the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that some 750 girls had been staying at the camp when the floodwaters hit.
High-school soccer coach Reece Zunker and his wife Paula were also among those who died in the devastating floods, while their two young children are still missing.
With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.
