Hollywood was completely blindsided by this terrible news from the Lone Star State.
A beloved actor’s family got caught right in the middle of America’s deadliest flooding disaster.
And Dennis Quaid was utterly destroyed by one heartbreaking connection to Texas floods that left him speechless.
Texas native couldn’t reach his daughter during deadly disaster
The devastating flash floods that tore through central Texas over Independence Day weekend didn’t just claim more than 110 lives and leave hundreds missing.
They also reached into the personal lives of celebrities with deep roots in the Lone Star State.
Actor Dennis Quaid, born and raised in Texas, experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when he couldn’t contact his 17-year-old daughter Zoe during the catastrophic flooding.¹
The star of films like The Right Stuff and The Parent Trap told Fox News Digital that his daughter was working as a counselor at a summer camp about 75 miles north of Kerrville when the deadly floods began.
"I heard about this as I was going to bed that night," Quaid explained. "And I tried to call her because I knew she was up there. I knew it wasn’t near where the floods were, but I wasn’t able to talk to her till the next day."²
The sleepless night that followed was pure agony for the 71-year-old actor.
"I didn’t really get a lot of sleep that night," Quaid admitted.³
One camper’s tragic story that chills Quaid’s heart
When Quaid finally reached his daughter the next morning, he learned she and the other campers at her facility were "relatively safe up there."
But that relief was shattered when he heard about another girl at the same camp.
"One of the girls at that camp lost her whole family who were camping in an RV, I guess, on the Guadalupe River, and they were swept away," Quaid revealed.⁴
The flash floods struck with devastating speed early Friday morning, July 4th, when most families were still asleep in their tents and RVs along the Guadalupe River.
The river rose an estimated 26 feet in just 45 minutes, surging to heights of 29 feet in some areas.⁵
Personal connection to Kansas City Chiefs tragedy
The disaster hit even closer to home for Quaid and his wife, Laura Savoie, through their friendship with the Hunt family.
Clark Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, lost a family member in the catastrophe — his 9-year-old cousin Janie Hunt.⁶
Janie was one of 27 campers and counselors killed at Camp Mystic, the all-girls Christian summer camp that was devastated when the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks.
"I can’t imagine how that would . . . how devastating that would be," Quaid admitted.⁷
The young girl was a student at Robert S. Hyer Elementary in Highland Park and was attending Camp Mystic, which had been operating for 67 years as a beloved institution where families sent their daughters generation after generation.
Quaid calls for prayers amid unimaginable loss
The Texas-born actor, who grew up in Bellaire and still maintains strong ties to the state, was visibly moved when discussing the tragedy.
"We just need to pray for people," Quaid said, specifically naming the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund as a way for people to help with relief and rebuilding efforts.⁸
The scope of the disaster continues to grow as search and rescue operations persist.
At least 110 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 90 of those fatalities occurring in Kerr County alone.
More than 160 people remain missing as of the latest reports.⁹
"You think of those kids that night, and it just chills my heart," Quaid stated. "Do a lot of praying because there’s a lot of people that need to be prayed for still."¹⁰
Camp counselors showed incredible bravery
As horrific details emerged from Camp Mystic, stories of heroism began to surface alongside the tragedy.
Camp counselors reportedly wrote the names of their young campers on their own bodies in case they were swept away by the floodwaters — a desperate measure to help identify the children if the worst happened.¹¹
One Coast Guard rescue swimmer managed to save 165 people during the disaster, many of them from the camp area.¹²
The camp had approximately 550 children present when the floods struck, according to a health inspection report.¹³
Questions mount about warning systems
The disaster has raised serious questions about whether local officials should have done more to prepare for the catastrophic flooding.
Central Texas, particularly the Hill Country region where Camp Mystic was located, is known as "Flash Flood Alley" because of its high risk for sudden, deadly flooding.¹⁴
Officials had received warnings from the National Weather Service about potential flooding, but Kerr County lacked an independent flood warning system despite being at the highest risk for flooding in the area.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd admitted the state was in contact with Kerr County on Wednesday and Thursday before Friday’s flooding, but declined to explain why evacuations weren’t ordered.
"I can’t answer the whys, I’m not going to answer the whys," Kidd told reporters.¹⁵
Quaid’s Texas roots run deep
The flooding disaster struck particularly close to home for Quaid, who has maintained his connection to Texas throughout his Hollywood career.
Born in Houston and raised in Bellaire, Quaid still regularly spends time in Austin and has always considered himself a proud Texan.
His production company, Bonniedale, is even named after his mother’s middle name as a tribute to his Texas roots.¹⁶
After Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas in 2017, Quaid and his band The Sharks held a benefit concert called the Bellaire Brave Block Party that raised over $100,000 for first responders.¹⁷
A state in mourning
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer across the state in response to the floods.
President Donald Trump announced plans to visit Texas, likely on Friday, telling reporters he would have gone sooner but "we’d just be in their way."¹⁸
The NFL Foundation, along with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, pledged $1.5 million to support victims’ families and survivors of the flooding.¹⁹
This flood has become the deadliest inland flooding event in the United States since the 1976 Big Thompson River flood in Colorado.
For Dennis Quaid and countless other Texans, the disaster represents not just a natural catastrophe, but a deeply personal tragedy that has shattered communities and families across the Hill Country.
The actor’s emotional response captures what so many are feeling as Texas begins the long process of mourning, healing, and rebuilding from one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history.
¹ Emily Trainham and Larry Fink, "Dennis Quaid devastated by close family connection to Texas floods," Fox News Digital, July 11, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ CNN Weather Team, "July 8, 2025: News on deadly Texas floods," CNN, July 8, 2025.
⁶ Gabrielle Rockson, "Kansas City Chiefs Owner Mourns Death of His 9-Year-Old Relative in Texas Floods," PEOPLE, July 7, 2025.
⁷ Emily Trainham and Larry Fink, "Dennis Quaid devastated by close family connection to Texas floods," Fox News Digital, July 11, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Wikipedia Contributors, "July 2025 Central Texas floods," Wikipedia, July 11, 2025.
¹⁰ Emily Trainham and Larry Fink, "Dennis Quaid devastated by close family connection to Texas floods," Fox News Digital, July 11, 2025.
¹¹ PEOPLE Staff, "Camp Counselors Say They Wrote Girls’ Names on Their Bodies in Case They Were Swept Away by Texas Floodwaters," PEOPLE, July 8, 2025.
¹² PEOPLE Staff, "Coast Guard Swimmer Who Rescued 165 from Camp Mystic amid Texas Floods Speaks Out," PEOPLE, July 7, 2025.
¹³ CBS News Staff, "Death toll in devastating Texas flash floods at least 120, dozens still missing," CBS News, July 9, 2025.
¹⁴ Al Jazeera Staff, "Texas flooding: Who are the victims, what’s the death toll, could it rise?" Al Jazeera, July 9, 2025.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ City Lifestyle Magazine, "A Conversation with Dennis Quaid," City Lifestyle Magazine, 2025.
¹⁷ Ibid.
¹⁸ AP News Staff, "Texas governor says more than 160 people are still missing after floods," Associated Press, July 8, 2025.
¹⁹ Sports Illustrated Staff, "Relative of Chiefs’ Clark Hunt Among Victims in Texas Flooding," Sports Illustrated, July 7, 2025.