‘Our first duty is to be present’: San Antonio holds vigil for victims of Hill Country flooding

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Faith leaders, elected officials and community members from San Antonio gathered downtown Monday night for a vigil remembering the victims of the Hill Country flooding that shook the area over the July Fourth holiday weekend. 

Organized by Centro San Antonio, the vigil was meant to extend support to those affected by the catastrophic flooding, as well as remember the 13 lives lost during the recent flash flooding in San Antonio

More than 100 people are dead and many others are still missing across six counties and several towns northwest of San Antonio and Bexar County as a result of heavy rain and sudden flooding on the Guadalupe River

“These lights are symbolic of God’s grace,” Alex Lara, a pastor at Elevate Ministries, told the crowd of attendees at Travis Park as they somberly lit candles. 

“These lights are symbolic of the light of action that needs to be taken in the midst of this tragedy. The good book, the Bible, says that if your neighbor is naked and is hungry, pray for them, but don’t just pray for them. Cover their nakedness, give them something to eat.” 

Community response 

Several city leaders were also in attendance, including Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and councilmembers Sukh Kaur, Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, Edward Mungia and Misty Spears. 

“I cannot imagine the grief that so many are experiencing just an hour north of us,” Jones said of the flooding. “This happened too quickly and they were not resourced to deal with it.” 

San Antonio Mayor, Gina Ortiz Jones, coducts closing remarks at a vigil held for the flood vitims of Kerville, in Travis Park. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report

At the request of the governor, Jones said the city of San Antonio deployed 21 first responders, ambulances and other equipment to aid with search-and-rescue efforts in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville. San Antonio and Bexar County will keep helping as necessary, she added. 

“Kerr County, Bexar County doesn’t matter … what’s going on in the community, that is going to be a very long haul.”

In terms of donations, officials are asking for monetary donations instead of physical gifts, Kaur said.

To learn more on how you can help victims of the Central Texas floods, read this story.

Adam Daoud, owner of Vela Coffee a couple of blocks away from the downtown park, provided coffee for vigil attendees. 

Daoud said he’d never seen “flooding like this” and is inspired by the immediate influx of support from the community to help with refreshments for Monday night’s vigil. 

“As a small business owner and community member, we all have the responsibility of doing what we can, because little things that everyone’s able to do that makes big differences,” he said. 

Centro San Antonio held a vigil for the flood victims. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report

Lourie Larew walked to the vigil from Granada, a senior living and affordable housing complex, a few blocks away. Since she learned of the flooding through her regular morning news channel on Friday, Larew said she has not taken her eyes off the television. 

“I can barely walk, but I wasn’t going to miss this,” Larew said. “It’s just the most saddest, devastating thing since the Uvalde children situation. It’s horrifying, and that’s why I’ve come to honor and praise God and thank him for his angels that he sent to us.”

‘Intimate, strong ties’ to San Antonio 

At least 28 of those who died over the weekend were children, many from an all-girls Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic located on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt. The river rose 20 feet within two hours on Friday, causing evacuations for hundreds of campers, vacationers and local residents in the area. 

Many had ties to San Antonio. 

Katheryn Eads, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, was found dead after she went missing on Friday while camping on the banks of the river with her husband. 

Aidan Heartfield, a marketing student at Trinity University, is still missing as a result of the flooding. Kellyanne Lytal, the daughter of the university’s football offensive coordinator Wade Lytal, and a Camp Mystic camper, has also not been found. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones as search and rescue efforts continue. We will do all we can to support them during this incredibly difficult time,” the university posted Sunday on Facebook.

Several of Heartfield’s college friends were also in attendance at the vigil. Heartfield was staying at a house along the river in Hunt when he went missing on Friday, according to social media posts.

“There are very intimate and very strong ties to Texas Hill Country in San Antonio,” said Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of Centro. “Whether it is familial, whether it is ranching, whether it is camping, or whether it is economic development, our neighbors to the north are a part of San Antonio.”

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller conducts a small service at a vigil held for the flood victims. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller traveled to Kerrville on Friday and Sunday after the flooding to comfort families and offer spiritual guidance. He was in the room with families who were waiting to hear updates about their missing loved ones. 

The experience, García-Siller said, brought out a vulnerability in him that made it easier to be compassionate.

His call to vigil attendants was simply to be “present” for all the victims, including the young campers, local residents and campground workers. 

“Though we may not have known them personally, we can honor them in our hearts and in our altars,” García-Siller said. 

“At this moment, many questions press upon us. Why did this happen? How do we move forward? Our first duty is to be present.”