Camp Mystic is putting plans to reopen a year after the deadly Texas river floods

Camp Mystic on Thursday suspended plans to reopen this summer on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two youth counselors, backing down in the face of angry families and an investigation accusing the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and work lapses.

The decision, which dramatically set back camp owners’ determination to reopen, follows weeks of court testimony and legal investigations. That hearing revealed the camp’s lack of detailed flood emergency planning, reliance on poorly trained staff and the possibility of evacuations that came too late, as floodwaters tore through the camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the early morning hours of July 4.

The owner of the camp, Dick Eastland, also died in the flood.

As recently as Tuesday, Eastland family members told state attorneys general that the camp would be ready to open for business for nearly 900 campers by May 30. That quickly changed with Thursday’s announcement that the camp had withdrawn its 2026 license renewal application.

“No administrative process or summer season should go forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while many Texans are still carrying the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health (DSHS) confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its request.

‘It’s the right decision,’ said a government official

This decision was recommended by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas, who opposed the opening of the camp while the investigation was ongoing.

“I am grateful to hear that, today, the Eastland family has withdrawn their request,” Patrick said in a statement. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the right decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for a full investigation to be completed.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has yet to publicly say whether the camp should reopen, noted in a statement Thursday that the outcome of the ongoing Camp Mystic investigation by DSHS and the Texas Rangers “will be released as soon as possible.”

Several charges have been filed in the camp and in Eastlands.

Victims’ families crowded the courtroom and legal proceedings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with pictures of their daughters. They listen to the details of the flood warning signs that were missed, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their rooms until it was too late. Evidence includes a video of the raging flood as the girl repeatedly screams “help!” somewhere far away.

Edward Eastland, one of the camp’s directors, publicly apologized to the families of the victims on Tuesday.

“We tried everything we could that night. It wasn’t enough to save your daughters … I’m sorry,” Eastland said, the victims’ families sitting behind him.

“We are thankful that no child will be kept in Eastlands this summer,” said Cici and Will Steward, whose daughter Cile, 8, is the only missing victim. The hearings showed that the camp was not prepared for an emergency then or now, said the Stewards.

“But there should be no confusion about what happened today. Camp Mystic did not withdraw its request out of kindness. It withdrew because the state of Texas was about to deny it,” said the Stewards.

The camp seemed determined to open

Camp Mystic has been pushing hard to open in a few weeks. The camp invited journalists and lawmakers to review the security improvements in the camp, they promised that no camp activities would take place in the lower area that was destroyed and impressed that hundreds of families wanted to return, emphasizing that the special place was the generations of Texans.

But last week, state regulators noted nearly two dozen “flaws” in their emergency action plan for this year. They include problems with flood warning plans, use of the emergency warning and public address system, monitoring of safety warnings and training of campers about safety. State regulators noted that hundreds of other camps were also found to be deficient as they tried to meet new safety standards imposed after the flood.

Officials at Camp Mystic insisted they would be disciplined and said at least 850 campers have signed up to return this year. Reports that many families were willing to send their daughters away this summer caused a rift within the tight-knit Mystic alumni community.

Camp director Britt Eastland told lawmakers this week that he believes the camp community will be grateful that it reopens this summer. That comment caused many families to leave the hearing angry.

In all, the devastating flood killed at least 136 people along several kilometers of the river, raising questions about how things went wrong.

Texas health officials say they are investigating hundreds of complaints against camp owners. The Texas Rangers are also looking into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Homeland Security, although it was not immediately clear how much of the state’s top investigative unit.

“We have never imagined a world without our daughters, and no decision taken now can change that,” said Matthew Childress, the father of Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor who died in the flood.