Nick Panagiotu watched a family disappear in a matter of seconds during the Texas Hill Country storm on July 4. He’s still trying to understand how he survived.
KERRVILLE, Texas — Early morning on July 4, Nick Panagiotu stepped out of his RV into chaos.
The Blue Oak RV Park, a quiet haven shaded by trees along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, was unrecognizable. Torrential rain had turned the river into a violent current, tearing through the community where Panagiotu lived.
“The lightning and the thunder was not just on top of us, but it was almost like inside,” he recalled.
Panagiotu opened his door and immediately heard screams.
“I saw the woman across the way on the island and her husband,” Panagiotu said. “He was carrying two babies and she was walking behind him a couple of feet. I could hear him through all this noise and chaos.”
The river had overflowed. Knee-deep in water, Panagiotu tried to head toward them to help.
“I saw him and I’m extending my hand. But it’s futile, you know.”
Then, in an instant, he recalls both he and the man — later identified as John Burgess — were swept into the overflowing river.
“The water was rising so quickly width-wise that he fell in. Then I fell in.”
Panagiotu’s foot caught on a post, anchoring him just enough to avoid being pulled farther downriver. A wave pushed him in just the right direction, allowing him to climb out of the water. But it was already too late for the family he saw.
John and Julia Burgess did not survive. Their two young sons are still missing. They are survived by a daughter who was attending camp nearby.
“Once I came out of the water, I realized there’s no helping anybody.”
He watched helplessly as RVs were swept away by the water. He saw his own RV tumble away. A tiny home and cottage community next to Blue Oak RV Park was also destroyed. Many people in the neighborhood are still missing.
“All the RVs were just turning like dominoes sideways and then flowing down the river,” Panagiotu said.
As the death toll continues to climb in Kerr County and search crews work to locate those still missing, Panagiotu is left with haunting memories.
“Oh my God, if I put myself in the moment, it was impossible,” he said.
What was once his home, now debris and devastation, is a painful reminder of what happened that day. A fundraiser has been started for Panagiotu to help him recover and find a new place to live.