Camp Mystic's emergency plan passed state inspection 2 days before deadly flooding

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 10:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Texas inspectors signed disconnected connected Camp Mystic's exigency readying conscionable 2 days earlier catastrophic flooding killed much than 2 twelve radical astatine the all-girls Christian summertime camp, astir of them children.

The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the campy complied with a big of authorities regulations regarding "procedures to beryllium implemented successful lawsuit of a disaster." Among them: instructing campers what to bash if they request to evacuate the campy and assigning circumstantial duties to each unit subordinate and counsellor.

Five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press bash not connection immoderate details of those plans astatine Mystic, raising caller questions astir the camp's preparedness up of the torrential July 4 rainfall successful flood-prone Texas Hill Country.

The U.S. National Weather Service had issued a flood ticker for the country connected July 3 astatine 1:18 p.m. section time. That information prompted astatine slightest 1 of the astir 18 camps on the Guadalupe River to determination dozens of campers to higher ground.

The uncertainty astir what happened astatine Mystic comes arsenic section officials person repeatedly dodged questions astir who was monitoring the upwind and what measures were taken up of the flooding.

WATCH | Why Camp Mystic suffered specified loss: 

No evacuation ordered

Camp Mystic, established successful 1926, did not evacuate and was particularly hard deed erstwhile the stream roseate from 4.2 metres to 9 metres within 60 minutes successful the aboriginal greeting hours of the disaster. Flooding connected that agelong of the Guadalupe starts astatine astir 3 metres.

A partition of h2o overwhelmed radical successful cabins, tents and trailers on the river's edge. Some survivors were recovered clinging to trees.

At slightest 27 campers and counsellors died during the floods, and officials said Tuesday that 5 campers and 1 counsellor person inactive not been found. Among the dormant was Richard "Dick" Eastland, the camp's beloved manager described by campers arsenic a begetter figure.

Charlotte Lauten, 19, spent 9 summers astatine Camp Mystic, mostly precocious successful 2023. She said she didn't callback ever receiving instructions arsenic a camper connected what bash successful the lawsuit of a upwind emergency.

"I bash cognize that the counsellors spell done predisposition grooming for a week earlier campy starts," she said. "They bash little them connected each those types of things."

One happening that apt hindered the girls' quality to flight was however acheronian it would person been, Lauten said. Campers don't person entree to their phones portion astatine camp, she said, adding they wouldn't person compartment work anyhow due to the fact that of the distant location.

"This is the mediate of obscurity and they didn't person power," she said. "It would person been transportation black, similar could not spot 5 feet successful beforehand of you benignant of darkness. I've ne'er seen stars similar determination due to the fact that there's conscionable nary light."

WATCH | Governor mourns campers mislaid astatine Camp Mystic:

Inspections recovered nary issues

The authorities inspected Camp Mystic connected July 2, the aforesaid time the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated exigency effect resources up of the anticipated flooding.

The inspection recovered nary deficiencies oregon violations astatine the campy successful a agelong database of wellness and information criteria. The campy had 557 campers and much than 100 staffers astatine the clip betwixt its Guadalupe and Cypress Lake locations.

The catastrophe plans are required to beryllium posted successful each campy buildings but aren't filed with the state, said Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

"We bash not person them," Anton wrote successful an email. "You'd person to get it from the camp."

Camp Mystic did not respond to requests for remark connected its exigency plan. In a connection connected its website, the campy said it has been "in connection with section and authorities authorities who are tirelessly deploying extended resources to hunt for our missing girls."

Camp Mystic notes that it is licensed by the authorities and a subordinate of the Camping Association for Mutual Progress, which says its extremity is to "raise wellness and information standards" for summertime camps. Leaders of that relation didn't instrumentality messages.

The American Camp Association said Tuesday that Camp Mystic is not accredited with that organization, whose standards absorption connected information and hazard management. Spokesperson Lauren McMillin declined to accidental whether the campy antecedently had been accredited with the association, which describes itself arsenic "the lone nationwide accrediting enactment for each year-round and summertime camps."