Texas officials approved Camp Mystic's operating plan days before the fatal floods
What that plan said, however, is unclear. Texas does not approve or keep copies of emergency plans; camps are only required to show they have a plan in place. Officials at Camp Mystic — still reeling from the deaths of campers, staffers and its director, and the ongoing search for others — could not be reached for comment on what the plan included or how the camp responded to Friday's flood.
Questions are swirling around the emergency response by state and local officials and whether the flood plan the camp laid out was adequate, or was even executed as the historic flash flood struck in the darkness.
Fed by pounding rainfall, the Guadalupe River in Kerr County rose more than 20 feet in one hour before dawn on Friday and crested at more than 34 feet later that morning; it had been roughly 1 foot deep since at least June 10.
The swollen river overwhelmed Camp Mystic, where counselors and campers awoke in the dark and tried to dash through rising water, some clinging to trees or scrambling up rocky escarpments. Many were swept away.
Wynne Kennedy, a former Camp Mystic employee, said that when she worked there, staff was trained on 'extensive flood evacuation plans.' That was one of the reasons she felt comfortable sending her daughter, Lucy, 10, to Camp Mystic this summer. 'I felt like she was in the safest place she could be,' Kennedy said.
Lucy said she survived the storm after fleeing her cabin and taking refuge in the recreation hall on higher ground with other campers and counselors.
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ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Works begins on Tuam grave in bid to identify 796 babies and children in sewage system
A major excavation of a mass, unmarked grave of babies and young children in the west of Ireland began on excavation of the site of St Mary's mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, will try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and and other specialists have started working at the site as part of its attempt to exhume and identify human remains. In 2014, research led by local historian Catherine Corless indicated that 796 babies and young children were buried in a sewage system at the Co Galway institution across that time Mary's home for unmarried mothers and their children was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order of Catholic 2021, Irish premier Micheal Martin apologised on behalf of the state for the treatment of women and children who were housed in mother and baby homes across Bon Secours Sisters also offered a 'profound apology' after acknowledging the order had 'failed to protect the inherent dignity' of women and children in the Tuam process, which started on Monday, is expected to last two work at the burial site, which is being undertaken by the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT), will involve exhumation, analysis, identification if possible and re-interment of the remains at the site, surrounded by a 2.4 metre-high hoarding, is security monitored on a 24-hour basis to ensure the forensic integrity of the site during the Corrigan, who discovered that she had two older brothers who were born while her mother was a resident at the Tuam home, said Monday was a welcome but difficult Corrigan has instructed KRW Law to launch High Court civil proceedings against a number of agencies and institutions including the Order of The Sisters of Bon Secours over the circumstances surrounding the death and disappearance of her brothers.'Whilst it's a relief to see work started on the site it's really only the latest stage in what is still a long road for all of us,' she said.'I accept there are technical issues arising from the exhumation which may impact on decision-making by the attorney general, the coroner in Galway and the gardai and others, but the least we can expect now is expressions of support plus a commitment to reviewing all previous decision-making.'I won't rest until I see justice for my two brothers who not only need a proper Christian burial but also the full rigours of the law both domestic and international applied.'What happened at Tuam was criminal, so there needs to be both church and state accountability. The Government can't just do a Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of this and blame the nuns and the Catholic Church.'They have a complicity in all of this as well. Any solutions which exclude the state won't be tolerated by me or anyone else.'We've fought far too hard to get to here and we certainly don't want to see this important excavation work carried out in vain.'There are so many people I want to thank, including Jim McVeigh from Belfast and our lawyers, including KRW Law led by Chris Stanley, together with Carl Buckley of Guernica Chambers, whose guidance and direction has helped to chart a path through many of the legal complexities.'We have much more work to be done before we can feel anywhere near satisfied.'Speaking on the opening day of excavations, Irish human rights lawyer Kevin Winters said: 'Annie (Anna) Corrigan, like so many others, has waited a long time for this moment. It's intensely emotional for her but also frustrating given the gnawing sense of unfinished business.'She welcomes the excavation work, which is likely to take anything up to two years to complete, and sees today as an opportunity to again call upon the Irish Government to engage on unresolved legal issues connected to the recovery process.'Over 18 months ago we wrote to gardai, including local gardai, at Tuam urging them to treat the scandal as a criminal investigation.'Despite repeated requests from both Annie and ourselves they failed to assign gardai Pulse investigation numbers until last month when she received confirmation they would issue.'We have written to gardai in Galway urging the immediate release of the numbers. The industrial volumes of buried infants and the manner in which they met their fate clearly points to criminality.'It will be momentous to see the assignment of Pulse record numbers as that crystallises formal criminal investigation status upon this historical human rights debacle.'Equally important is the requirement that the coroner in Galway upscales intervention after opening up the case as far back as 2017.'There needs to be an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Annie's siblings and all the other unexplained deaths.'We are also instructed by Annie to launch High Court civil proceedings against a number of agencies and institutions including the Order of The Sisters of Bon Secours over the circumstances surrounding the death and disappearance of Annie's brothers.'There was a suffocating toxicity about the historic Irish state-Catholic Church relationship which helped foment the horrors of Tuam.'However this almost mediaeval barbarity occurred within living memory.'Tuam is in danger of becoming a byword for cruelty unless both state agencies and the church respond promptly and transparently to the latest legal agitation touching upon criminal investigation; inquests and compensation.' 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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Love of swimming rekindled by CamSight befriending service
A woman with a visual impairment who joined a befriending service has spoken about the boost it has given to her Zhang, 59, from Cambridge used local charity CamSight to get back into swimming with the help of Lucy, 25, a volunteer she was matched sight loss organisation aims to help blind and visually impaired people do the activities they swimming at the city's lido, Ms Zhang said: "All the people we meet using the facility have been friendly and it's made such a difference in this hot weather to get out and exercise somewhere I feel safe." Ms Zhang said Lucy's recent assistance at the Cambridge Lido helped her get back into swimming."The lido is fantastic for visually impaired swimmers and I feel safe, supported and free," she said."As the pool is 90m in length, I feel less anxious about doing full strokes and I'm not going to run out of room quickly to turn at the end."She added lido staff had been "so helpful and happy" for her to have her guide dog, Amber, sat poolside. The pair had also been to a yoga said: "I taught Jean some key poses for her to use at the next class when we go again. "The centre was incredibly accommodating and let Amber sit in the corridor while we had our class. I also helped Jean to outline the countries on some large maps in her study with a glue gun so she could learn geography of the world."I have learned so much about guide dogs and, of course, loved getting to know Jean too."Zoe Dunstan, a senior volunteer coordinator for CamSight, said: "When you match a befriending pair together, it's essential that you find out about lifestyles and interests. "Befriending is more than just conversations, though sometimes a good chat is all it takes to make a difference. "It's about enabling service users to reconnect with a hobby or activity they may have enjoyed before they became visually impaired and showing them how they can still try new ones." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Sunken pirate shipwreck could help solve mystery of £100million lost treasure
New research has claimed a sunken ship off the coast of Madagascar could be the long-lost Portuguese vessell the Archbishop of Goa and hold the key to a £110million treasure A sunken ship off the coast of Madagascar could finally solve one of history's greatest pirate mysteries, and unlock a jaw-dropping £110 million hoard of lost treasure. Hidden for more than 300 years beneath the waves near the island of Île Sainte-Marie, the wreck is now believed to be the long-lost Portuguese galleon Nossa Senhora do Cabo, which was captured in 1721 by feared pirates Olivier Levasseur and his partner-in-plunder John Taylor. In a bombshell new study, experts from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation say this could be the key to tracking down one of the richest pirate plunders of all time. On board the Portuguese viceroy, the Archbishop of Goa, there were 200 slaves and a cargo of gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, silks, and religious artefacts. Lead researcher Brandon Clifford said: 'This wasn't just a pirate raid – it was a hijack of royal proportions.' The Cabo had been sailing from India to Portugal when a fierce storm near the Cape of Good Hope left it limping toward safety. But before repairs could be finished, Levasseur and Taylor pounced. After a short battle, the pirates hauled their prize to the pirate haven of Nosy Boraha, which was a notorious hideout once ruled by the likes of Captain Kidd and Henry Avery. On the island, the ship was stripped off all the treasure on board, and according to researchers, there were "110 diamonds, 250 emeralds, 20 rubies, 20 sapphires," along with coins, bars of precious metals and sacred Christian artefacts were seized. One legendary item, the Flaming Cross of Goa, which is said to be encrusted with jewels and so massive it took three men to lift, allegedly went straight into La Buse's personal stash, reports. Researchers have claimed Levasseur didn't stay lucky for long and after retiring to the island, he was eventually caught and hanged in 1729. But before his execution, legend says he hurled a cryptic note into the crowd. Now, new underwater surveys using sonar and seabed scans may finally be closing in on the fabled loot. A wreck matching the dimensions of an 18th-century Portuguese galleon has been found lying beneath the remains of an old pirate fort. Among the haul was Chinese porcelain, ivory, timber carvings and 13 gold coins. But it's the religious items that have raised eyebrows: a Madonna statue, an ivory Jesus, and a crucifix topper inscribed 'INRI'. Researchers say these match the kind of Catholic symbols carried by high-ranking clergy – like the Archbishop of Goa, who was onboard when the Cabo was seized. A report issued by those behind he study says: 'There's strong evidence this wasn't just another pirate ship – but a holy treasure ship that fell into pirate hands." Levasseur had renamed the captured vessel Victorieux, which is French for 'Victorious', and used it as his flagship. But its final fate has been debated for centuries, with some claiming it had wrecked elsewhere and others claiming the ship was deliberately sunk. Now, the team's findings suggest the Cabo was abandoned and possibly burned at Île Sainte-Marie after her legendary journey. With up to ten wrecks scattered around the pirate island, it's a race to see which – if any – holds the infamous treasure. But as the Mirror has learned, if that golden cross is ever found, it may confirm that the Cabo was indeed the ship that sparked one of piracy's greatest legends.
