Camp Mystic director allegedly waited 45 minutes to start evacuating children
But apparently Eastland did not start evacuation campers to higher ground until close to 2:00 am, when floodwaters began rushing through the area. At 4:03am, the National Weather Service issued a much more urgent message.
'This is a FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for South-central Kerr County, including Hunt. This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!' the alert read.
'They got a standard run-of-the-mill NWS warning that they've seen dozens of times before.' Eastland's nephew, Gardner Eastland, confirmed Richard's death in a Facebook post. The camp director's wife, Tweety, was found safe at their home, according to Texas Public Radio . The Father-of-four died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post.
The Eastlands have owned and operated Camp Mystic since 1974, and many viewed him as a father figure at the camp. 'It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,' The Kerrville Daily Times guest columnist Paige Sumner said in a tribute to Eastland.
'Dick was the father figure to all of us while we were away from home at Camp Mystic for six weeks. 'He was the father of four amazing boys, but he had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad. I would never have taken a fishing class if it wasn't taught by my new friend Dick.'
The couple has 11 grandchildren, and several of their children and their partners help manage the camp. According to the camp website, the Eastland's oldest son, Richard, manages the camp's kitchen; their youngest son, Edward, and his wife are directors of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Footage of manta ray being captured in Florida raises animal welfare concerns
A video depicting the capture of a giant manta ray near Panama City Beach, Florida, has sparked widespread outrage over animal welfare and conservation practices. Denis Richard, founder of Water Planet USA, recorded the incident, observing five people struggling to bring the endangered creature onto their boat. Richard expressed horror at the manta ray's distress, noting it appeared to have been snagged rather than hooked, and was subsequently placed into a small deck pool. Despite giant oceanic manta rays being protected under the Endangered Species Act, the captors possessed a Marine Special Activity License permitting the take of one manta ray for exhibition. The group involved is a Marathon-based company that supplies marine life to aquariums and stores, such as SeaWorld.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
People in Florida neighborhood stop dinner, grab tools to rescue 4 people in plane crash
Residents in a Miami suburb used an ax, fire extinguisher and garden hose to rescue four people from a small plane that crashed into a tree in yet another mishap near a busy South Florida airport. 'It was nothing short of heroic,' Angelo Castillo, the mayor of Pembroke Pines in Broward County, said Tuesday. But Castillo is frustrated. He said there have been more than 30 crashes in the past five years on or around North Perry Airport, which serves small planes. A local street is named for 4-year-old Taylor Bishop, one of three people who died when a plane crashed into an SUV in 2021. 'We need better assurances that these planes are not going to keep falling out of the sky," Castillo said. "The airport was a dairy farm before World War II. Now it's the busiest general aviation airport in Florida. But within a five-mile radius, there are approximately half a million people." A pilot and three passengers were approaching the airport in a Cessna T337G when the aircraft crashed into a tree in the Pines Village neighborhood around 8 p.m. Sunday, authorities said. 'Residents put their dinner forks down to get out there,' Castillo said. 'Some had garden hoses to put the fire out. There were cuts and bruises, but all four survived.' Giovanna Hanley said the plane crashed near her mother's house where she was staying. 'Within seconds, my hero Father in Law was breaking glass and pulling out the injured. ... This is personal. This is angering. This is unacceptable,' Hanley said on Facebook, referring to plane crashes. An email seeking comment from North Perry Airport was not immediately answered Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Castillo, meanwhile, wants an independent investigation of local air safety. ' People are up in arms, and I can't blame them,' he said.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Massachusetts assisted-living blaze kills a musician, secretary, and veteran Army sharpshooter
Gabriel House had seen better days. The 100-unit assisted-living facility that burned Sunday night, killing nine people so far, opened in 1999. Some photos on its Facebook page show neat rooms but older-looking carpeting and furniture. Her granddaughter didn't like the assisted-living center, but 86-year-old Eleanor Willett wanted something that left her money to play the slots at a casino. She earned too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford a higher-priced assisted-living facility, Holly Mallowes told The Associated Press Tuesday. 'She said, 'I don't need much, but a roof over my head and someplace to put my sewing machine,'' Mallowes said. Willett was the oldest to die. Here's what we know so far about the victims. Eleanor Willett A Massachusetts native, Willett spent more than 20 years as a secretary and even worked briefly as a cocktail waitress, her granddaughter said. Her home was always a base for everyone in her family, Mallowes said. 'My mom worked a lot and Grammy 's was always a place we called home,' said Mallowes, 45. 'We lived with her often. She was very strong. She outlived two husbands and raised five children. She was absolutely a joy.' Mallowes, a paralegal who lives in Dartmouth, described her grandmother as 'very religious' and a 'devout Catholic.' 'She wanted to be somewhat independent,' Mallowes said of Willett's decision to move to Gabriel House in Fall River, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boston. "To leave her home alone all day, I was to afraid something might happen.' 'As our grandparents and parents get older, we say 'I'll make it to go see them a different day' and you always put it off," Mallowes said. "See them while you can. Tomorrow is not promised.' Kim Mackin Makin, 71, was a violist who performed in Boston area orchestras, according to her nephew, Austin Mackin. She was described in a statement from family members as 'gifted beyond words.' 'We will all miss Kimmy,' the statement read. 'Beyond being exceptionally kind, few knew that she was a brilliant musician.' Kim Mackin received a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music and after graduating, toured the world as first chair viola. Breonna Cestodio described her 78-year-old uncle, Rochon, as 'a very quiet guy,' yet a 'great guy.' 'He kept to himself," she told reporters. 'He was a sharpshooter in the Army. He loved getting visits from all of his nieces and nephews.' Rochon moved into Gabriel House about a year ago. Cestodio had little good to say about the facility, remarking that it always seemed hot inside the building. 'Every time you visited him, he was sweating,' she said. 'No air in the building. I never saw any workers, except in one closed-off section. I never saw any workers.'
