The wife of Kansas City Chiefs' owner, Clark Hunt, has confirmed that a member of their family has sadly passed away in the catastrophic flooding in Texas. Tavia Hunt, Clark's wife, shared that Janie Hunt, a young cousin in the family, was one of the Camp Mystic campers who died in the incident. Janie was just 9 years old.
Janie's body was found by emergency workers on Saturday after being swept by the powerful currents. The death toll has climbed to 82 after the flooding of the Guadalupe River, which rose over 30 feet above its normal level on Friday. Among the 68 bodies recovered so far, 28 are children.
Young Family Member Lost
"Our hearts are broken by the devastation from the floods in Wimberley and the tragic loss of so many lives — including a precious little Hunt cousin, along with several friend's little girls," Tavia Hunt, Clark's wife, wrote on Instagram. "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?
"That is a sacred and tender question — and one the Bible doesn't shy away from. Scripture is filled with the cries of those whose hearts have been shattered, who still wrestle to trust the same God they believe allowed the pain."
Janie was the great-granddaughter of the late billionaire William Herbert Hunt, who was also the brother of Lamar Hunt, the late founder of the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar Hunt was Clark Hunt's father.
Eleven girls are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and five other campers have been confirmed dead after powerful floodwaters ripped through the private Christian summer camp for girls.
The camp's beloved director, 70-year-old Richard 'Dick' Eastland, lost his life while heroically trying to save campers as an entire month's worth of rain fell within minutes.
Total Devastation
Just a week before the disaster, the camp had posted videos on social media showing the girls performing cheerfully on stage during their first term's chorus and dance recital. The youngest campers were housed in low-lying "flats" within the cabins, while the older girls stayed in cabins built on higher ground, according to The New York Times.
Most of the missing children are from the younger group, who were sleeping only a few yards from the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that around 750 girls were present at the camp when the floodwaters struck.
He also vowed that officials would continue their search efforts tirelessly and announced that Sunday would be observed as a day of prayer.
"I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines," Abbott said in a statement.
Family members of the missing have begun arriving to the Kerrville region from various parts of Texas to offer DNA samples to assist investigators.
