In one of the most remarkable survival stories in U.S. history, three of the 27 girls missing after the Texas flood were found alive inside the hollow trunk of a massive oak tree, just one mile from the devastated Camp Wrenwood.
The girls—Emily Rivera, Zoey Nash, and Hope Lin, ages 8 to 10—survived nearly 10 days with no food, relying on rainwater, instincts, and each other.
A volunteer hiker discovered them by chance after hearing a faint voice from the tree’s base say, “We’re here… please don’t leave.” Emergency crews soon uncovered the girls curled together in wet towels, using a broken shoelace to fasten bark as a makeshift door.
Doctors credit their survival to two key factors: a pre-camp wilderness safety drill that taught them to stay dry, stay together, and stay quiet, and their ingenious method of collecting rainwater using plastic wrappers shaped into a V to catch runoff, even wringing water from wet shirts into their mouths.
Though suffering from insect bites, dehydration, and minor scratches, all three girls were stable. Rescuers say the girls stayed calm, repeating that thinking of their mothers gave them strength and that believing in one another kept them going. The nation is celebrating them as symbols of courage and hope, with hashtags like #HollowTreeHeroes and #3StrongGirls spreading rapidly, church bells ringing, and one official declaring, “They saved each other. We will never forget these girls.”
