Heart o' the Hills Camp Director Jane Ragsdale's Lasting Influence After Texas Flood

Heart o' the Hills Camp Tragedy

• 🌊 A devastating flood on July 4th impacted multiple summer camps in the Texas Hill Country, including Heart o' the Hills.
• ⚠️ The floodwaters rose rapidly, catching staff members off guard as the camp was between sessions.
• 💔 Tragically, camp director Jane Ragsdale did not survive the incident, though her son and daughter-in-law led her out of a flooded lodge.

Personal Connections and Resilience

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Balderson family, with deep ties to Heart o' the Hills, shared their experiences, highlighting the camp's profound influence on their daughters, Bailey and Riley.
• 💡 Bailey, a counselor at the time, described waking up to the flood and the terrifying sounds of cracking trees.
• 🏠 In a poignant parallel, Robin Balderson, Bailey's mother, had a home in Wimberly washed away by a flood 10 years prior, a testament to her family's resilience.

Legacy and Future Preparedness

• ✨ Despite the loss of the physical camp and Jane Ragsdale, her immeasurable influence and the spirit of the camp are remembered as living on.
• 🏛️ Texas lawmakers are addressing flood preparedness, with a special committee formed to discuss disaster response and warnings.
• 🗓️ Legislative hearings are scheduled in Austin and Kerrville to ensure Texas is better prepared for future disasters.