As floodwaters rose in Texas, camp counselors hoisted children onto rafters, carried them to dry ground and sang with them to keep them calm.

At services in the stricken Hill Country and elsewhere, ministers spoke Sunday morning about sorrow and solace, community and hope, as more rain beat down.

Katherine Ferruzzo had been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin for the fall semester and planned to become a Special Education teacher, her family said.

Experts say camps offer the opportunity to try skills and social situations while developing a stronger sense of self in the safety of communities that share values.

Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight's little sister, Paisley, was at a camp on a smaller arm of the Guadalupe River. The 14-year-old was "just miles" away from Camp Mystic in Central Texas, which has been devastated by the deadly floodwaters spurred by extreme rainfall on July 4.

Camp officials across the country said they had heard from worried parents after the Texas floods. As they try to reassure them, some camps are adding more safety procedures.

The deadly Texas floods have brought the state's approach to land approvals, especially in flood-prone areas, under more scrutiny.

Camp Mystic camper Blakely McCrory, 8, died in the Texas floods on the Fourth of July shortly after her dad and uncle died. Her mom, Lindsey McLeod McCrory, tells PEOPLE about Blakely's 'contagious spirit' and the final letter she received from her.