Young camper reveals moment Black Hawk helicopter RESCUED him from generational flood… as terrified parents feared another Camp Mystic disaster

A young boy shed light on the dramatic moment he and his brother were rescued by Black Hawk military helicopters from the torrential rain that caused massive flooding at a summer camp in Missouri.

Benjamin, 11, and Teddy, 9, were among the more than 200 children and counselors taken to safety from Camp Taum Sauk in Reynolds County on Friday, where floodwaters from the nearby Black River were causing potentially life-threatening conditions.

‘We got to go on a Black Hawk,’ Teddy told NPR. ‘It was very loud and very cool and fast.’

Teddy described the experience of being rescued with his brother as ‘really, really fun.’

The onslaught of rain had caused fears of a repeat of last July’s Camp Mystic tragedy in Texas, where 25 young campers, two counselors and the camp’s executive director were killed by floods.

Benjamin and Teddy’s mother, Ann DeField, said she suddenly started receiving texts from concerned moms on Friday night about overnight flash flooding at the summer camp.

DeField described the experience as a ‘whirlwind,’ though she noted that she and her husband were more panicked than her children.

‘When they got home … I couldn’t hug them long enough,’ she told NPR. ‘They were fine. They really just thought it was all a big adventure.’

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said Friday that eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters staffed by approximately 35 crewmembers had rescued 202 children and counselors.

The campers were taken to the Arcadia Valley Elementary School to be reunited with their families, according to Kehoe’s statement.

As much as 12 inches of rain fell within a matter of hours overnight, according to Missouri authorities, prompting a once-in-a-thousand years downpour of rain across the state.

People were rescued from sweeping floodwaters, as well as trees, rooftops and vehicles, the governor’s office said.

‘This effort reflects the very best of our state emergency response teams,’ Kehoe said.

He added: ‘Countless men and women, across multiple jurisdictions, have been working around the clock with one mission in mind: saving lives.’

Campers started being evacuated around 2am on Friday, with dozens of girls in low-lying cabins near the river being woken up and rushed to the camp cafeteria, according to The New York Times.

However, they were soon forced to move again to higher ground near the camp’s tennis courts as the floodwaters continued rising and rapidly moving.

The girls passed the time making bracelets and arts and crafts projects, as well as playing board games.

In the meantime, the boys, who were housed on higher ground, remained in their summer camp cabins, per the outlet.

They listened to the radio and talked as staff continued to monitor the potentially dangerous floodwaters.

Outside the camp, frightened parents exchanged information through group messages as roads gradually became inaccessible due to the rising water.

Some of the other children recalled viewing the unusual helicopter rescue.

‘When I first heard we were getting on helicopters, I was kind of scared,’ Everett Box, 11, told the outlet. ‘Then I kind of warmed up to it and was super excited to go on it.’

It was Everett’s third time attending the summer camp.

Fellow camper Cate Hensley, also 11, said she could no longer tell where the Black River ended and the road began by Friday morning.

Her cabin was left covered in broken glass, preventing her from retrieving her belongings.

However, Cate’s mother, Melissa Hensley, insisted that the scary experience had not changed how her family viewed the camp.

‘This is their happy place,’ she said. ‘They plan for this every single year.’

In addition to the Black Hawks mentioned by the governor, emergency responders also helped rescue people stranded as a result of the flooding.

Urban search-and-rescue team Missouri Task Force 1 deployed 50 members with specialized equipment and rescue boats, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

At the time, the Black River was expected to crest at a record level of more than 28 feet near Annapolis, about 15 miles southeast of the camp.

As of Sunday, one person had died from the disastrous flooding in Missouri.

Faith Gregory, 23, who had gone missing after floodwaters ripped her home from its foundation in Crawford County, was found dead on Saturday.

Volunteers discovered her body roughly 1.8 miles downstream from her home in Huzzah Creek.

‘This is not the outcome that any of us were hoping for,’ the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Faith’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,’ the sheriff’s office added.

Authorities have said that no one else remained unaccounted for in wake of the deluge.