Lorena Guillen recalls watching cars float away with lights on and hearing desperate honking
Texas RV park owner banged on doors as water rose
Lorena Guillén, owner of Howdy's Bar and Grill and Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville, Texas, described a family of five being swept away in the rising floodwaters.
The owner of a Texas Hill Country RV park and restaurant is recounting her experience of flooding that left more than 100 people dead.
Lorena Guillen, who owns Blue Oak RV Park and Howdy's Bar and Grill in Kerrville, said the rain started to come down around 1 a.m. By 2:30 a.m., she "went to check the water levels of the river." At that point, she said, it looked "fine." She called the sheriff's office, which had no information at that point, so she went to sleep – only to be awoken between 3:30 and 4 a.m. by "lights of the rescuers."
"It was so fast," Guillen told Fox News Digital. "It was so crazy, and I was going from RV to RV, banging on doors, getting everybody out."
"One of my residents had called 911 because they could hear people screaming," she recalled. "But this is the middle of the night, it's pitch black."
TEXAS MOTHER PRAISES BRAVE CAMP COUNSELORS WHO SAVED HER SONS FROM 'ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING' FLOODS
Blue Oak RV Park is located right off the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, Google Maps shows. (Google Maps)
"My husband got down all the way down to his waist in water just trying to rescue the people, and he was asking the guy ‘please throw me your baby’ and few seconds later, they got swept away," she continued.
TEXAS FLOODING VICTIMS INCLUDE DALLAS CATHOLIC SCHOOL SISTERS, CAMP COUNSELOR, WALMART EMPLOYEE
The Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville, Texas, was devastated by rising floodwaters on Friday, July 4, 2025. Here is a photo of the aftermath on July 7. (Rachel Wolf/Fox News Digital)
The father Guillen was speaking about has been identified as John Burgess of Liberty, Texas, according to KWTX. His wife and two sons have not yet been found, but his daughter, who was staying at a nearby camp, is reportedly safe.
"It was extremely difficult," Guillen recounted. "And you can see cars floating away with the lights on and honking. You could hear a lot of honking. And we also saw the cabins from next door just smashing against the trees."
Guillen said her restaurant had some mud inside, but her employees quickly helped her clean it out and everyone came together to help recovery efforts.
