Camp Mystic plans to reopen after 2025 flood tragedy
Tragedies like the deaths of 27 campers at Camp Mystic during historic flooding in Texas last year often lead to calls for improved safety, legislation addressing the causes, and accountability for those at fault.
Nothing has changed in Texas, though, and a story today in New York Magazine shows that the people most responsible for these girls’ deaths plan to endanger even more young people again this year.
Camp Mystic said that 900 girls have signed up to return to camp this year. Some of the parents of girls slated to return had attended the funerals of campers who were killed.
Texas legislators have not even begun investigative hearings into the failures of Camp Mystic owners and staff, as well as the local authorities who failed to respond.
Parents of the victims have filed a federal lawsuit against the Camp Mystic owners, alleging camp leaders told campers not to evacuate to high ground, and to instead remain in the now-destroyed cabins.
Another lawsuit was filed against state regulators for failing to ensure the safety of campers.
FEMA is culpable, as well: They granted requests by Camp Mystic to rezone dozens of buildings from the 100-year flood zone, which would have required flood insurance, tighter regulations, and additional safety measures and protocols.
They exempted facilities at the camp despite a history of damage along the river.
Some of the buildings that were exempted were destroyed in the flood.
“Local leaders in Kerr County, including two who were asleep when the waters started rising, remain in their jobs,” PBS reported in January. Both men are now in charge of the recovery.
What happened at Camp Mystic last year will happen again, especially as climate change continues to make these extreme weather events more frequent and intense.
Already this month, we’ve had record-setting heatwaves in the Southwest, torrential flooding in Hawaii, massive wildfires burning in New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska, and a severe water scarcity crisis around the Rio Grande.
I wrote about the Camp Mystic tragedy, the role of climate change, and the safeguards needed to prevent a repeat of what happened last year.
None of the action items proposed to address these hazards have been implemented. In fact, resources needed to implement those measures have only been further depleted in the nine months since the flood.
I’m reposting my story from last year as it is as poignant and necessary today as it was when I first wrote it.
Click below to read:
Having lived a substantial part of my life in Texas, I know the terrains pretty well: north, east, south, central, and west. I know the "Hill Country" very well--thus, Kerr County. The recent tragedy was the worst, but it was not the first. Floods have happened before; climate change might have been a factor making this tragedy the worst, but at least as important were poor management practices (by parents as well as camp owners, managers, local officials). There has been enough history of Camp Mystic, enough reportage of problems and of the odd mentality of people who know the risks but send/invite/receive children and mismanage risks anyway, that neither I nor friends who still live in the Austin area were surprised by this latest tragedy.
We lived just south of Austin for many years...Lawrenc E. Hazelrigg is right...this flooding certainly was not the first. But it seems greed wins out most of the time. I would not subject children to that camp for anything or anyone. We just don't learn.