Soon after, they learned that the girls staying closer to the river had already been evacuated.

“When we found out, everyone in the cabin broke down. We were scared, not for ourselves, but for our friends,” she said. The girls prayed together and waited for help.

Several hours later, emergency crews reached Thompson’s cabin and escorted them to safety. What they left behind was a scene of devastation.

“You’d see kayaks stuck in trees—it was kind of horrific,” Thompson said. “It didn’t look like Camp Mystic anymore.”

Rescue efforts are ongoing, as teams search for 10 missing campers and one counselor. The Guadalupe River, which runs beside the camp, rose by 26 feet in under an hour before sunrise, sweeping away vehicles and homes in its path.

Thompson is still trying to comprehend the scale of the disaster. “I think while it was happening, I just felt numb,” she said. “But now, saying it out loud helps me understand how serious it really was.”

Her mother, Casey Thompson, echoed her daughter’s emotional response, describing her own mixture of relief and sorrow.

“We are so thankful she’s okay and back with us,” she said. “There’s huge relief, but at the same time, a deep awareness that others weren’t as lucky. Those feelings sit right beside each other.”