FEMA approved Camp Mystic to exempt structures from flood zone designation? Here's what we know
Back in 2013, FEMA approved an appeal from Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls, to exclude 15 of its buildings near the Guadalupe River from what is known as a Special Flood Hazard Area. That's the zone where a so-called '100-year flood' — one with a 1% chance of happening in any year — could hit, according to Washington Post report.
FEMA documents show that some of those buildings were just a few feet above the level a major flood might reach. At least one was actually below it. Still, the exemption meant the camp didn't have to carry flood insurance for those structures anymore. Other parts of the camp stayed in the flood zone and remained subject to various federal, state, and local building rules for those areas.
Also Read: New Texas flash flood warnings affect Guadalupe River, Camp Mystic rescue efforts. What did officials say
Camp Mystic made two more successful appeals to FEMA
As Camp Mystic expanded, it made two more successful appeals to FEMA in 2019 and 2020, removing another 15 buildings from the flood zone designations.
The Associated Press first reported on these appeals, which offer some insight into how both Camp Mystic and FEMA evaluated flood risks over the years. The revelations are now drawing new attention after the deadly July 4 floods that left at least 129 people dead in Central Texas. According to river gauge data from Hunt, Texas, the Guadalupe River rose nearly 30 feet in under four hours that morning.
At Camp Mystic, the river's waters rushed into cabins just after daybreak. Campers and counselors had to escape through waist-deep water, some of them barefoot.
Sarah Pralle, a political science professor at Syracuse University who studies FEMA's flood maps, said the camp's repeated efforts to challenge FEMA's designations raise serious concerns.
'Not just disappointing; it's very disturbing,' Pralle said. 'You would think that, in that situation, they would err on the side of extreme caution given who they are supposed to be taking care of.'
Camp Mystic spokesman Jeff Carr confirmed in an email that the camp had filed appeals and that FEMA approved them, adding, 'just as 90% of all such appeals are approved by FEMA.'
Pralle explained that it's becoming more common for property owners to challenge FEMA's maps to avoid the cost of flood insurance or the limitations that come with building in flood-prone areas. But she also pointed out that flood-related deaths have gone up across the US
'There's just a lot of places that are not taking risks seriously,' she said. 'We're trying to shrink the [FEMA] maps and take properties out of them, and it just seems like the wrong way to be going.'
Also Read: Camp Mystic: Haunting visuals reveal aftermath of deadly Texas flood that left 27 dead
'Flood maps are snapshots…'
The agency said, 'Flood maps are snapshots in time designed to show minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for flood insurance.'
Meanwhile, other data pointed to a bigger risk at Camp Mystic than FEMA's maps showed. A model from First Street, a private climate risk modeling company, outlined a broader flood zone along the Guadalupe River, putting even more camp buildings at risk.
Jeremy Porter, who leads climate research at First Street, said their model also considers extreme rainfall, unlike FEMA's maps.
'That area actually has one of the highest flood indices across the whole country in terms of the likelihood of flooding,' Porter said.
On Sunday, the area was hit with flooding again, forcing authorities to pause the search for those still missing after the July 4 disaster. Porter said that instead of challenging FEMA's flood designations, Camp Mystic's leaders would have been better off focusing their time on preparing for a flood.
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