The girls — Emily Rivera, Zoey Nash, and Hope Lin, ages 8 to 10 — survived for nearly 10 days with no food, using only rainwater and lessons from a wilderness safety drill they had completed days before the storm.
The Discovery: “We’re Here… Please Don’t Leave”
A volunteer hiker was combing the area when she heard a faint noise from beneath a fallen tree. At first, she believed it was an animal — until a tiny voice cried out: “We’re here… please don’t leave.”

Emergency crews arrived within minutes and discovered the three girls curled together inside a hollow tree trunk, wrapped in soaked towels and using a broken shoelace to tie bark across the entrance like a makeshift door.

Rainwater Collection: The girls used plastic wrappers in a V-shape to catch rain runoff and drank water from leaves and clothing.
Pre-Camp Safety Drill: Just days before the flood, camp counselors taught a survival exercise. The girls remembered the golden rule: “Stay dry. Stay together. Stay quiet.”