2 girls rescued alive while hanging onto tree FALSE

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. FALSE: The Kerr County Lead reported without checking, and has retracted the report.

https://kerrcountylead.com/the-miraculous-story-of-2-girls-found-turns-out-to-not-so-miraculous/

Editor’s Note: Like everyone, we wanted this story to be true, but it’s a classic tale of misinformation that consumes all of us during a natural disaster. Unfortunately, the story is not true and we are retracting it. — Louis Amestoy, editor of The Kerr County Lead

False reports of two girls being rescued alive from a tree near Center Point spread rapidly Sunday among residents desperate for good news about missing children from the catastrophic Kerr County flooding, prompting officials to caution against unverified information.

The Kerr County Lead was among the first news outlets to report the rescue after receiving numerous messages about the girls, along with social media reports from volunteers exclaiming the rescue. Sheriff Larry Leitha later said the reports were “100% inaccurate.”

The false reports highlight the challenges of information flow during major disasters, when emotions run high and communities desperately seek positive developments amid tragedy. Social media and word-of-mouth can amplify unverified claims, creating false hope for families already enduring unimaginable stress.