Community gathers at Freedom Church in Liberty for vigil honoring flood victims

LIBERTY, Texas - A candlelight vigil was held at Freedom Church in Liberty to honor the victims of the devastating Texas Hill Country floods, which have claimed over 100 lives and left more than 170 people missing.

Liberty church holds vigil for flood victims

The community gathered at Freedom Church for a public vigil to show solidarity and support for those affected by the recent floods in Central Texas. The July 4th flooding in Kerr County has resulted in at least 129 deaths, with recovery operations ongoing.

What they're saying:

Edgar Vasquez, who attended the vigil, expressed the community's sorrow. 

"You hear about things happening far from here, and when it hits close to home, close to a community as small as ours, you really can’t help but feel sad," Vasquez said.

Shelby McGuiness, grieving the loss of the Burgess family, shared her thoughts on the widespread impact. 

"It is so widespread and so devastating, so many people—not just the families that are touched directly but indirectly. The whole community is in such grief," McGuiness said.

Jason Cowart, lead pastor at Freedom Church, spoke about the impact of the tragedy. 

"It’s wild that Kerr County is six hours away from us, but the impact is just insane. The Burgess family had a massive impact. My own son was one of her students," Cowart said.

FOX 26 confirmed that as of Friday, 18 Houston-area residents have died in the Central Texas flooding. In Liberty, the Burgess family all passed away except for their daughter, who survived.

Cowart emphasized the community's support for the surviving daughter. 

"The community, the church family is flooding around her. I know she is going to get support beyond the church family. Our community is small, tight-knit; people love each other, they care about each other," Cowart said.

Edgar Vasquez, praying for the flood victims, added:

"We’re trying to bring some peace, something to calm some people down. It’s horrible what happened. We believe God is the God of all things; we trust Him."

McGuiness concluded, "We’re just resting in the love of Jesus and moving forward moment by moment, trying to continue walking together through it. Holding hand in hand and going slow."

Organizers of the vigil said it was an opportunity for the community to come together to pray and stay encouraged during difficult times.

Flooding relief efforts

In less than a week, donors all over the world have sent over $30 million to Kerr County for recovery efforts.

On Friday, $5 million was distributed to local agencies for them to use in cleaning and rebuilding after the tragedy.

What you can do:

The Community Foundation, a nonprofit group in the area, launched the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to help support local response, relief and recovery efforts.

All donations will go right to the organizations helping with the emergency.

Those looking to donate can click here.

Resources and donations for those impacted

• Texas flooding: State, county resources, services for those affected
• Texas flooding: Resources for those impacted
• Texas flooding: Businesses, organizations donate to recovery, relief efforts
• Texas flooding: How you can help people in Kerrville