They clung to trees. They crawled out of windows and floated on mattresses. And they survived to tell the harrowing story of the catastrophic flooding that struck central Texas over the weekend and killed dozens,

Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later,

As of early Monday, 81 people died across six counties. Sixty-eight died in Kerr County alone, 40 were adults and 21 were children. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued or evacuated. There are still 10 Mystic Camp campers and one camp counselor missing.