In a story that’s captured hearts across the nation, three young girls missing for 10 days after the Texas floods were found alive—sheltering inside the hollow trunk of an old oak tree, just a mile from the destroyed Camp Wrenwood.

Emily Rivera, Zoey Nash, and Hope Lin were among 27 campers swept away by flash floods. With no food, no fire, and only rainwater to survive on, the girls relied on each other and their camp safety training: “Stay dry, stay quiet, stay together.”

A volunteer hiker heard faint whispers coming from what she thought was a fallen tree—and found the girls curled under damp towels inside, their shelter held shut with bark and a shoelace.

They used plastic wrappers to catch rainwater and drank from soaked shirts and leaves. Though dehydrated and covered in bites, their injuries weren’t life-threatening.

“We kept thinking about our moms,” one girl whispered to rescuers. “We thought no one was coming… but we believed in each other.”

As news broke, families wept, church bells rang, and social media lit up with #HollowTreeHeroes and #3StrongGirls. Now safe in the hospital, the girls’ story stands as a powerful reminder: even in the darkest places, hope survives.