Sisters killed in Texas flood found with ‘their hands locked together’ grandparents remain missing
Two Sisters Found Dead in Texas Hill Country Floods, Family Continues Search for Missing Grandparents
Tragedy struck in the Texas Hill Country as two sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, aged 13 and 11, were found dead with “their hands locked together” in the aftermath of devastating floods. The girls were on a family trip in Casa Bonita, a gated community in the town of Hunt, when the deluge hit early Friday morning.
The girls’ father, RJ Harber, was awoken by the rushing water around 3:30 a.m., according to his sister Jennifer. The rain was so intense that it was difficult to hear the water pouring into their cabin. Brooke had sent a text to her father and maternal grandparents saying “I love you” around the same time.
RJ and his wife Annie tried to reach their daughters, who were in a separate cabin, but the raging waters prevented them from doing so. They attempted to borrow a kayak from a neighbor to navigate through the flood, but the rough waters forced them to be rescued alongside five other neighbors.
It took 12 hours and 15 miles before Blair and Brooke were found, their hands still locked together. The sisters were students at St. Rita’s Catholic School in Dallas, where their mother worked as an instructional specialist. They were described as believers who had taken their rosary beads with them on the trip.
Blair was remembered as a gifted student with a kind heart, while Brooke was known for lighting up any room and making people laugh. Their paternal grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber, are still missing.
The Harber family had been staying in two separate cabins, with Mike and Charlene staying in a neighbor’s home that was offered to them due to its larger size. The devastating flood has claimed at least 80 lives and left over 40 people still missing in the Hill Country area, with evacuation orders in place as more rain is expected.
