Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before
deadly flood, records show
[July 09, 2025]
By JIM MUSTIAN, CHRISTOPHER L. KELLER, SEAN MURPHY and
RYAN J. FOLEY
HUNT, Texas (AP) — Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s
emergency planning just two days before catastrophic flooding killed
more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most
of them children.
The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing
the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding “procedures
to be implemented in case of a disaster.” Among them: instructing
campers what to do if they need to evacuate and assigning specific
duties to each staff member and counselor.
Five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press do not
offer any details of those plans at Mystic, raising new questions about
the camp’s preparedness ahead of the torrential July 4 rainfall in
flood-prone Texas Hill Country.
The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for the area July
3 at 1:18 p.m. That danger prompted at least one of the roughly 18 camps
along the Guadalupe River to move dozens of campers to higher ground.
The uncertainty about what happened at Mystic comes as local officials
have repeatedly dodged questions about who was monitoring the weather
and what measures were taken ahead of the flooding.
Tragedy falls on the historic camp
Camp Mystic, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was especially
hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9
meters) within 60 minutes in the early morning hours. Flooding on that
stretch of the Guadalupe starts at about 10 feet (3 meters).
A wall of water overwhelmed people in cabins, tents and trailers along
the river’s edge. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
At least 27 campers and counselors died during the floods, and officials
said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still not been
found. Among the dead was Richard “Dick” Eastland, the camp's beloved
director described by campers as a father figure.
Charlotte Lauten, 19, spent nine summers at Camp Mystic, mostly recently
in 2023. She said she didn't recall ever receiving instructions as a
camper on what do in the case of a weather emergency.
“I do know that the counselors go through orientation training for a
week before camp starts," she said. "They do brief them on all those
types of things.”
One thing that likely hindered the girls' ability to escape was how dark
it would have been, Lauten said. Campers don’t have access to their
phones while at camp, she said, adding they wouldn’t have cell service
anyway because of the remote location.
“This is the middle of nowhere and they didn’t have power," she said.
“It would have been pitch black, like could not see 5 feet in front of
you type of darkness. I’ve never seen stars like there because there’s
just no light.”
Inspections found no issues
The state inspected Camp Mystic on July 2, the same day the Texas
Division of Emergency Management activated emergency response resources
ahead of the anticipated flooding.
The inspection found no deficiencies or violations at the camp in a long
list of health and safety criteria. The camp had 557 campers and more
than 100 staffers at the time between its Guadalupe and Cypress Lake
locations.
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A Camp Mystic sign is seen near the entrance to the establishment
along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, Saturday,
July 5, 2025, after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP
Photo/Julio Cortez)
The disaster plans are required to be posted in all camp buildings
but aren't filed with the state, said Lara Anton, a spokesperson for
the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“We do not have them,” Anton said in an email. “You'd have to get it
from the camp.”
Camp Mystic did not respond to requests for comment on its emergency
plan. In a statement on its website, the camp said it has been “in
communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly
deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.”
Camps are responsible for developing their own emergency plan.
Inspectors evaluate the plans to ensure they meet several state
requirements, including procedures for evacuation.
“The inspector checked that they had plans posted for those elements
in every building," Anton said, “and that they had trained staff and
volunteers on what to do.”
Camp Mystic is licensed by the state and a member of the Camping
Association for Mutual Progress, which says its goal is to “raise
health and safety standards” for summer camps. Leaders of that
association didn’t return messages.
The American Camp Association said Tuesday that Camp Mystic is not
accredited with that organization, whose standards focus on safety
and risk management. Spokesperson Lauren McMillin declined to say
whether the camp previously had been accredited with the
association, which describes itself as “the only nationwide
accrediting organization for all year-round and summer camps.”
Authorities review rain and river gauges
One rain gauge about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Camp Mystic
recorded 9.5 inches (24 centimeters) of precipitation July 4,
according to Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority data. Another of the
agency’s gauges — further south and to the west — recorded 12.2
inches (31 centimeters) of precipitation. The authority told the AP
that a review of its equipment found both were functioning during
the flood event.
However, at least four United States Geological Survey gauges along
the Guadalupe River experienced some level of failure July 4.
The gauges, located near Hunt and Kerrville, stopped collecting both
river levels and the flow rate of water in the early morning hours
of July 4.
One gauge, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) northeast of Camp Mystic,
recorded a level of 29.5 feet (9 meters) at 4:35 a.m., according to
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. It was the
last recorded river level from the instrumentation until a USGS
hydrologist installed a temporary gauge. At the time, the
hydrologist measured the high water mark at 37.52 feet (11.44
meters).
At that location, a river level of 32 feet (9.75 meters) could lead
to “disastrous life-threatening flooding,” which could cover the
roads of the lowest camps and resorts, according to NOAA.
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