In a tragic turn of events, two young sisters, Blair (13) and Brooke (11) Harber, were found deceased, hand-in-hand, after being swept away by flash floods in Texas Hill Country. The family was on vacation in Hunt, Texas, when a sudden and intense deluge struck their cabins in the early hours of Friday morning.
Their aunt, Jennifer Harber, shared on GoFundMe that the floodwaters rapidly entered their cabin around 3:30 a.m. Brooke managed to send a final text to her father and grandparents, simply saying, “I love you.”
Blair and Brooke’s parents, RJ and Annie Harber, bravely broke a window to escape their own cabin and attempted to reach their daughters, who were sleeping in a nearby cabin with their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber. Despite borrowing a kayak, the powerful current prevented them from reaching the girls, and they, along with neighbors, were eventually rescued.
Heartbreakingly, Blair and Brooke were discovered 12 hours later, 15 miles downstream, their hands clasped together. Their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber, are still missing.
Both sisters were students at St. Rita’s Catholic School in Dallas, where their mother works. Their family remembers Blair as a “gifted student with a generous, kind heart,” and Brooke as a “light in any room” who drew people to her with her humor. Both girls had brought their rosary beads on the trip, reflecting their strong faith.
The decision to split into two cabins, with the grandparents and girls in a larger neighbor’s home, unfortunately led to this tragic outcome. As the Texas flood death toll continues to rise, the Harber family holds onto their faith and cherished memories.