Mother 'grateful' after daughters rescued from Camp Mystic flooding

(NewsNation) — As the search continues for more missing girls from Camp Mystic after floods ripped through Central Texas early Friday, one mother shared her sense of relief after her daughters were rescued.

Serena Aldrich told NewsNation she is "grateful" and "blessed" that somehow her kids — ages 12 and 9 — were unharmed.

"They're glad to be home and worried about their friends," she said. "They are strong."

Officials said that 24 were confirmed dead, and that 23 to 25 girls were reported missing from the all-girls camp when the area near the Guadalupe River was hit with up to 10 inches of rain. Several of the cabins were reportedly flooded, while others washed away. The roads surrounding the cabins were washed out.

The area was put under a flash flood warning. By Friday morning, the Guadalupe River in western Kerr County had reached 29 feet, the second-highest level on record.

Asked if her girls were given any warning or alarm of any sort when the flash flooding began, Aldrich was told they didn't receive anything.

"No, my 12-year-old on Senior Hill, they were woken up by lightning and thunder," added Aldrich.

"My 9-year-old on the flats was woken up by a friend, water coming into the cabin, and their counselors saved all those girls' lives. They broke windows to get them out the back of the cabin and back towards cabins that line up towards an embankment that goes all the way up to Sky High, where the Mystic sign is. And the girls ended up climbing all the way to Sky High. Half of them had no shoes on, but they were safe."

Aldrich's daughters were brought to safety by taking a helicopter ride — their second one ever — to get away from the camp. She is not sure where they were taken to, but they were sent by bus to Ingram Elementary School.

"I knew as of 9 a.m. this morning that they were safe and accounted for," Aldrich said.

In addition, Aldrich's daughters knew some of the other girls who remained missing, as they are some of the youngest or first-year campers, whom they had met during their activities.

Aldrich says that for those parents of the girls who are unaccounted for, she is praying for them. She said she also wishes she could undo this traumatic event for her daughters.

Serena Aldrich attended Camp Mystic as a child, and her sister also spent time as a counselor at the facility.

Officials said 237 people had been rescued so far, including 167 by helicopter.