Three Missing Texas Girls Found Alive Inside Hollow Tree After 10 Days of Floods
In a heart-stopping turn of events, three young girls who vanished during devastating floods in Texas have been found alive, sheltered inside a hollow oak tree just a mile from where they were last seen. The girls — Emily Rivera, Zoey Nash, and Hope Lin, all between 8 and 10 years old — disappeared near Camp Wrenwood, prompting a widespread and desperate search that gripped the state.
A breakthrough came when a volunteer hiker thought she heard an animal noise, only to realize it was a child’s voice calling softly for help. She alerted rescue teams, who quickly located the girls curled up inside the trunk of an ancient tree. They had survived harsh conditions for nearly ten days, using soaked towels to stay warm and building a makeshift door from tree bark and an old shoelace to shield themselves from the elements.
The trio’s ability to endure the ordeal is being credited to a recent wilderness preparedness class they had taken. From collecting rainwater with plastic wrappers to drinking dew off leaves and wringing water from their clothing, the girls put every bit of survival knowledge to use. Above all, they remembered the three core rules from the drill: “Stay dry, stay together, and stay quiet.”
Though they were weak from dehydration, covered in insect bites, and exhausted, medics say the girls are on the road to a full recovery. A paramedic at the scene shared that the girls stayed hopeful by constantly talking about their mothers, helping one another stay emotionally grounded throughout their terrifying experience.
The rescue sparked a wave of joy and celebration across the country. Church bells rang in small towns, emotional family members embraced in tears, and social media exploded with the hashtag #HollowTreeHeroes, as their remarkable unity and courage touched the hearts of millions.