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Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show

Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show
While the search and rescue efforts continue, we are pressing local and state leaders about the steps that were taken in those critical hours between when the first alert came out and when the devastating floodwaters hit this area where we're in. Governor Abbott sidestepped that question and said he would not begin finger pointing. Texas Governor Greg Abbott toured much of the area devastated by last week's deadly flash flooding on Tuesday. The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody. Who was affected by this flood. There still remain those who are missing. We have to find every single person who's missing. As the death toll rises, well over 100 people are still missing. We are also hearing amazing stories of survival. Erin Burgess says she received no official warning about flooding Friday morning before finding herself in waste deep floodwater as rushed into her home. We tried to get to high ground, but we floated. My boyfriend and my dog went one direction. My son and I went another direction where we got stuck on *** tree. More than an hour later, unbelievable relief as the family was reunited, safe and alive. I just hugged them. I screamed. I hugged them. Among the search for survivors are those looking for beloved pets. The nonprofit shelter Austin Pets Alive has rescued more than 150 animals since the severe flooding event. This dog named Superman was found by the group on *** pile of debris. Unfortunately, his human didn't survive. The group says he is in *** temporary home until his other family members can take him. There's not as many lives saved as you want, but there are these glimmers of hope that keep everybody going. Now we learned that the state began moving assets in place ahead of this floodwater on Wednesday, and that's also when they began having conversations with local leaders here in hard hit Kirk County. We're expecting to hear more from those local leaders at 10 a.m. local time in Kerrville, Texas. I'm Lee Waldman.
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Updated: 6:39 AM CDT Jul 9, 2025
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Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show
AP logo
Updated: 6:39 AM CDT Jul 9, 2025
Editorial Standards
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.HOW TO DONATE TO TEXAS FLOOD VICTIMSThe 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 campCamp Mystic, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was especially hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet to 29.5 feet within 60 minutes in the early morning hours. Flooding on that stretch of the Guadalupe starts at about 10 feet.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, most recently in 2023. She said she didn't recall ever receiving instructions as a camper on what to 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 issuesThe 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.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 gaugesOne rain gauge about a mile from Camp Mystic recorded 9.5 inches 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 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 northeast of Camp Mystic, recorded a level of 29.5 feet 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.At that location, a river level of 32 feet could lead to “disastrous life-threatening flooding,” which could cover the roads of the lowest camps and resorts, according to NOAA. ___Mustian reported from Miami, Keller from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Foley from Iowa City, Iowa. Associated Press reporter Hannah Fingerhut contributed from Des Moines, Iowa.

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.

HOW TO DONATE TO TEXAS FLOOD VICTIMS

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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 to 29.5 feet within 60 minutes in the early morning hours. Flooding on that stretch of the Guadalupe starts at about 10 feet.

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, most recently in 2023. She said she didn't recall ever receiving instructions as a camper on what to 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.

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 from Camp Mystic recorded 9.5 inches 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 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 northeast of Camp Mystic, recorded a level of 29.5 feet 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.

At that location, a river level of 32 feet could lead to “disastrous life-threatening flooding,” which could cover the roads of the lowest camps and resorts, according to NOAA.

___

Mustian reported from Miami, Keller from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Foley from Iowa City, Iowa. Associated Press reporter Hannah Fingerhut contributed from Des Moines, Iowa.