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Texas Flood: Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate hailed heroes after rescuing 20 girls trapped at Camp Mystic camp

Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate saved 20 people from the floodwaters and helped them escape to safer places.
posted by Shreya Ghosh
Wednesday 7/9/2025 at 10:59AM EDT
  • Texas Flood (Image via Everett Collection) (It's a representational image of a flood)
    Texas Flood (Image via Everett Collection) (It's a representational image of a flood)

    Incessant rainfall and severe floods wreaked havoc in several parts of Texas and neighboring areas. The catastrophe killed around 81 people. According to a BBC report, at least 41 people are missing in central Texas.

    Rescue efforts are underway to protect lives and help them escape to safer regions. Amid the elaborate rescue operations conducted in different regions, two girls have helped around 20 girls who were trapped due to the floodwaters, according to a SanDiegoRed report.

    Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate were present at Kerr County's Camp Mystic recently. Seeing the horrifying distractions, they jumped to save those 20 girls and reach some place safer and provide shelter.

    Everything we know about Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate's heroic efforts to rescue 20 girls 

    Adverse weather conditions have been affecting Texas mercilessly since July 5, 2025. It poured heavily, further triggering major floods. Many people, including children and women, have gone missing in the last couple of days. 

    On July 5, a strong flash flood was reported on the Guadalupe River. As per the SanDiegoRed report, the water level dramatically increased to 26 feet in around 45 minutes. In less than an hour, floodwaters were overflowing all around, including the Camp Mystic in Kerr County. Right at the moment when the overflowing water hit the church quite late at night, over 750 people were present inside.

    Two young girls, Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate, made the best use of their presence of mind and jumped into the disastrous conditions to save around 20 girls. They were found in a trapped situation due to the force of the flood.

    As the catastrophe took place at night, the atmosphere was already dark, further intensifying the outcomes. Despite the strong winds and floodwater, Silvana and María helped those people to find safe cabins to save them, far from the roaring river.

    X (formerly Twitter) user Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) acknowledged Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate's bravery and gave them a special shoutout online.

    Appreciating their presence of mind and courage, the user wrote,

    "These brave young Mexican women are heroines in Texas. Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate, both 19 years old, rescued 20 girls trapped by the flooding of the Guadalupe River."

    Pointing out that the media is not focusing on these young girls enough, the netizen also asked,

    "Why isn’t the mainstream media covering this?"

    The outlet further confirmed Silvana's statement as she shared that the weather worsened and rainfall began at night, at around 1 AM. The power cut was reported at around 3 AM. After she rescued 20 people, many of them got to meet their families. Soon, Silvana and María also shifted to another camp.

    The massive force of water damaged the church. In addition to this destruction, the flash flood also wrecked houses, vehicles, trees, and other objects. Following the chaotic incident on Friday, the rescue teams saved around 850 people. Over 20 went missing. Unfortunately, over 40 people lost their lives, including 28 adults and 15 children.

    On June 6, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asserted that the authorities are taking all the steps to rescue people and find missing people amid the calamitous flood.

    As the BBC cited, the governor said,

    "It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through."

    The administration would "stop at nothing" to search for every missing individual.

    TOPICS: Silvana Garza Valdez