Preventable Camp Deaths
Texas Legislative Report Details Preventable Safety Failures in Camp Mystic Flood That Killed 27
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Key Points
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Investigators built a minute-by-minute account of the disaster by interviewing more than 150 survivors, staff members and camp affiliates.
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The report said there were at least 39 adults on site—excluding the teenage counselors assigned to camper cabins—who “could have been tasked to assist with an orderly flood evacuation,” but “there was no plan for them to do so, and no training” that would have prepared them for evacuation.
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Investigators emphasized they were not blaming those adults on the Guadalupe River portion of the camp, saying the problem was the absence of a usable plan and training; Michael Massengale said, “A plan that existed only in [Camp Mystic owner] Dick Eastland's head is not a plan that satisfied the state's rules for camps like Camp Mystic.”
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The report provided cabin-level timing details: cabins Twin I and Twin II were not cleared until more than two hours after the first sign of danger, and investigators described counselors being left with “no choice” but to push 8- to 9-year-old campers underwater and out the door.
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At the hearing, investigator Casey Garrett said the lack of training left staff unable to act, quoting: “Nobody had any idea what they needed to be doing, and so, it crippled them… [They were] starved of information.”
A Texas legislative investigation concluded that 27 deaths at Camp Mystic during the July 4, 2025 flash flood were the result of cascading, preventable safety failures — not an unavoidable act of nature. The 115-page report, adopted by lawmakers on June 18, 2026, found the camp had no written emergency plan meeting state requirements, failed to act on overnight weather warnings, and did not evacuate campers despite having ample time to do so, according to Texas Tribune.
The flood on the Guadalupe River killed 25 campers — primarily girls aged 8 to 11 — and two counselors, along with camp director Richard "Dick" Eastland, who died when his SUV was swept away at 3:51 AM while attempting to move children. NBC DFW reported the investigation was built on more than 150 interviews with survivors, staff, and camp affiliates.
No Plan, No Training, No Evacuation Despite Warnings
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch the evening of July 3. It issued a formal warning at 1:14 AM on July 4, then a second warning at 3:36 AM. Investigators found that senior camp leaders went to bed that night with no awareness of the extreme weather risk, according to CBS News. Even at 3:36 AM, investigators determined a foot evacuation to higher ground was still possible.
Instead, Director Eastland directed staff to shelter in place rather than evacuate. Investigator Michael Massengale put the core failure bluntly: "A plan that existed only in Dick Eastland's head is not a plan that satisfied the state's rules for camps like Camp Mystic," according to KHOU. Investigators found 39 adults on site — not counting teenage counselors — who could have helped move children to safety. None had assigned roles. None had flood training.
Counselors Left Paralyzed, Children Pushed Through Floodwater
With no plan and no instructions, staff had no idea what to do. Lead investigator Casey Garrett described staff as "starved of information," saying: "Nobody had any idea what they needed to be doing, and so, it crippled them." The chaos left counselors in cabins on the Guadalupe River side of camp unable to act until it was nearly too late, according to Fox 4 News.
Cabins Twin I and Twin II were not cleared until more than two hours after the first sign of danger. By then, water had risen so high that counselors were forced to push 8- and 9-year-old campers underwater and out the door to escape, according to KHOU. The first 911 call was not placed until 3:56 AM — nearly three hours after the initial NWS warning.
A Cell Phone Ban Left Counselors Unable to Call for Help
Lawmakers noted that Texas passed a package of camp safety laws in 2025 that addressed nearly all of the report's findings. But one gap remained. Camp Mystic had a policy banning counselors from keeping cell phones in cabins. That meant counselors could not receive emergency alerts or reach camp ownership during the flood, according to NBC DFW.
State Sen. Charles Perry said "a few tweaks" to existing law are still needed to close the counselor-communication loophole. Meanwhile, camp medical officer Mary Liz Eastland testified in April 2026 that she failed to report the deaths to state health regulators within the 24-hour window required by law, adding another layer of accountability failure to the record.
Camp Mystic Faces Lawsuits and an Uncertain Future
Victims' families testified at the June 18 hearing. Catherine and Will Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cecilia's body has never been found, are among those who filed wrongful-death lawsuits, according to Texas Tribune. At least five such suits seek over $1 million each in damages. A court order bars the camp from altering or cleaning up flood-damaged areas to preserve evidence.
Camp Mystic withdrew its application for a 2026 operating license in April under pressure from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, costing it an estimated $3 million in tuition. NASA researchers classified the broader July 4 flooding event — which killed 139 people across Central Texas — as the sixth-deadliest freshwater flood disaster in U.S. history, according to CBS News.
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