When 13-year-old Stella Thompson arrived at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Texas, she expected summer memories filled with laughter and friendship. What she didn’t expect was to face a life-threatening natural disaster that would test her strength, courage, and will to survive.

“It started with screaming,” Stella said in an emotional interview with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. “The counselors told us to run. The water was rising—fast.”

In the dead of night, flash floods surged through the area with terrifying force. Within minutes, the cheerful campgrounds became scenes of chaos. Campers were awakened and rushed to higher ground, some even climbing onto cabin rooftops to escape the floodwaters.

“I saw my friends crying, and I started crying too,” Stella recalled. “We didn’t know what was happening—we just held onto each other and prayed.”

Rescue crews braved dangerous conditions, battling strong currents and downed trees to reach the stranded children. Stella was eventually rescued and brought to safety, but the terrifying experience remains fresh in her mind.

Though still shaken, Stella is deeply grateful. “The people who saved us—they’re real heroes,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”