Camp Mystic director waited 45 minutes to start evacuating girls after getting Texas flood alert
Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, died while trying to rescue campers from the horrific flooding that swept through the private all-girls Christian camp in Texas on July 4.
Eastland, who was co-owner of Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, got a National Weather Service warning about 'life-threatening' flash flooding on the Guadalupe River at 1:14am, a family spokesperson told ABC News.
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.
Tragically the evacuation came too late as 27 campers and counselors lost their lives in the flood.
But the family member defended Eastland, saying there was no way of telling how bad the flooding would turn out to be.
The 13 girls and two counselors were staying in Camp Mystic's Bubble Inn cabin when the catastrophic floods hit on Friday morning
'They had no information that indicated the magnitude of what was coming,' family representative Jeff Carr told ABC News.
'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.
The couple attended the University of Texas in Austin and reside at the camp grounds.
Eastland is the third generation from his family to run the all-girls Christian summer camp since its founding in 1926.
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