History repeated itself when the Guadalupe River swept away Camp Mystic. Why few lessons were learned after the 1987 flood.

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KERR COUNTY — Lavonda Koons gripped the back of the driver’s seat, watching as the Guadalupe River rose quickly around her stalled school bus. Through the rearview mirror, she saw a van behind them sinking into the floodwaters.

She locked eyes with her husband who was driving the bus. It was still raining and the sky was dim with the early light of dawn. About five car lengths away, they could see dry land. They needed to get the kids to safety.

With water creeping higher, her husband told the children to go. The group stepped out of the bus into the cold, murky flood. They linked arms forming a human chain.

The roar of rushing water made it impossible to hear