1987 Guadalupe River Flood: A Survivor's Account of the Camper Bus Tragedy

The 1987 Guadalupe River Flood Tragedy

• 🗓️ On July 17th, 1987, a bus carrying teenage campers from Segoville Road Baptist Church stalled in a foot of water along the Guadalupe River.
• 🌊 A fast-moving flash flood quickly engulfed the bus and a church van behind it, pushing people down the river.
• 💔 The driver, Richard Coons, a 26-year-old pastor at the time, recounts the harrowing experience and his belief that he would die.

Rescue and Loss

• 🌳 33 individuals were rescued by clinging to trees.
• 😥 Tragically, 10 teenagers died in the floodwaters, with one never being found.
• 🗣️ Coons and his wife, Levant, share their personal grief and the lack of counseling available at the time, emphasizing the need to "toughen up."

A Message of Support and Resilience

• 🎗️ The couple agreed to share their story as a message of support to those currently grieving a similar tragedy.
• ❤️ They stress the importance of surrounding those hurting with love and support.
• ✨ For survivors, the message is to hold on to faith and remember that there is still a life to live.
• 📍 A memorial plaque in Comfort honors the lives lost and the survivors of the 1987 flood.