Camp Mystic leader may not have seen urgent alert before Texas flood
Richard 'Dick' Eastland, the owner of Camp Mystic, began taking action after more than 2 inches of rain had fallen in the area along the Guadalupe River, said Jeff Carr, a spokesman for the family and the camp. He said Eastland had a 'home weather station' and was monitoring the rain on July 4.
But after initially portraying to the media this week that Eastland got the weather alerts about a flash flood, Carr told The Associated Press that critical moment in the timeline of the tragedy isn't as clear as the family and staff first thought. No one in the family or camp staff, Carr said, could now say whether Eastland got the alert at 1:14 a.m.
'It was assumed that just because he had a cellphone on and shortly after that alert, he was calling his family on the walkie-talkies saying, 'Hey, we got two inches in the last hour. We need to get the canoes up. We got things to do,' ' Carr said.
The new account by the family comes as Camp Mystic staff has come under scrutiny of their actions, what preventive measures were taken and the camp's emergency plan leading up to a during the catastrophic flood that has killed at least 132 people.
The flash-flood warning that the National Weather Service issued at 1:14 a.m. on July 4 for Kerr County triggered an emergency alerts to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones. It warned of 'a dangerous and life-threatening situation.' The weather service extended the warning at 3:35 a.m. and escalated it to flash-flood emergency at 4:03 a.m.
Eastland died while trying to rescue girls and was found in his Tahoe that was swept away by the floodwaters, Carr said.
Even without a storm, the cellphone coverage at Camp Mystic is spotty at best, so campers and staff turn on their Wi-Fi, Carr said. He called ridiculous criticism that Eastland waited too long before beginning to evacuate the campers, which he said appears to have begun sometime between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.
'Communication was a huge deficiency,' Carr said. 'This community was hamstrung, nobody could communicate. The first responder, the first rescue personnel that showed up was a game warden.'
According to Carr, Eastland and others started evacuating girls from cabins nearest the overflowing river and moved them to the camp's two-story recreation hall. Of the 10 cabins closest to the river, the recreation hall is the furthest at 865 feet with the closest cabin about 315 feet, according to an Associated Press analysis of aerial imagery.
To reach Senior Hill, which was on higher ground, they would have had to cross an overflowing creek, Carr said. At times the young campers were climbing hills in bare feet, he said.
Some of the camp's buildings — which flooded — were in what the Federal Emergency Management Agency considered a 100-year flood plain. But in response to an appeal, FEMA in 2013 amended the county's flood map to remove 15 of the camp's buildings from the hazard area.
Carr said there were 'legitimate' reasons for filing appeals and suggested that the maps may not always be accurate.
Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims.
Officials say 97 people in the Kerrville area may still be missing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What Canada could learn from the tragic consequences of the Texas flash flood
On July 4, a horrific flash flood occurred in central Texas, mainly impacting Kerr County. The heavy rain started at about 3 a.m., resulting in rainwater surging down mountain slopes, causing the waters in the Guadalupe River to rise by eight metres very quickly. At least 132 people have been confirmed dead as of July 14; most of them were in Kerr County. The area is under renewed flood warnings as heavy rains threaten to continue. In recognition of the scope of this tragedy, it's important to determine why it happened. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that a special session of the state legislature will be held in late July to investigate the emergency response. Acting to reduce impacts Local Texas officials are facing questions over their actions in the hours — and years — before the flood. In recent years, multiple efforts in Kerr County to build a more substantial flood warning system have faltered or been abandoned due to budget concerns. In 2015, a deadly Memorial Day flood in Kerr County rekindled debate over whether to install a flood monitoring system and sirens that would alert the public to evacuate when the river rose to dangerous levels. Some officials, cognizant of a 1987 flood that killed eight people on a church camp bus, thought it should be done, but the idea ran into opposition. Some residents and elected officials opposed the installation of sirens, citing the cost and noise that they feared would result from repeated alarms. As a result, Kerr Country did not have emergency sirens that could have warned residents about the rising waters. Critical warnings The critical challenge for communicating flash floods is ensuring that early warnings reach vulnerable populations. Unlike slow-onset river floods, flash floods leave very limited time for reaction. This makes accurate short-term forecasting and community preparedness essential. The U.S. National Weather Service issued its first public warning about the flooding in Kerr County at 1:14 a.m. on July 4, warning of life-threatening flash flooding, with subsequent warnings triggering alerts. Floodwaters surged dramatically as the Guadalupe River rose nearly eight metres in about 45 minutes. The 4:03 a.m. warning instructed residents to 'Move to higher ground now! This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.' The warnings were disseminated at night through emergency management systems and television and radio stations, but many people, including hundreds of children at summer camps, did not receive them. Government agencies at all levels need to work together to ensure that residents of impacted areas move effectively to outside of the flood area or at least to higher elevation areas or safe buildings. Societal impacts The World Economic Forum's Global Risk Assessment for 10-year periods ranked extreme weather events as the highest global risk in both the 2024 and 2025 assessments. Floods are a very important extreme weather event. The U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information published its review of events for the period 1980-2024. Tropical cyclones were the costliest weather and climate disasters, followed by: droughts, wildfires and flooding, which had an average cost of US$4.5 billion per event. The number of billion-dollar inland flood events has increased in the U.S. Note that the dollar costs of these events in these assessments do not include the many societal impacts, including mental trauma and other health impacts. Terminations at U.S. agencies There have been major reductions in the staffing and budgetary support of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Services, which is part of NOAA. Read more: The impacts of these reductions on the weather and flood forecasts that would have alerted Texans on July 4 are not yet clear. At the time of writing, the website for the National Weather Services office for Austin/San Antonio, which covers the region that includes hard-hit Kerr County, shows six of 27 positions are listed as vacant. One important vacancy is that of the key manager responsible for issuing warnings and co-ordinating with local emergency management officials. The U.S. government has also reduced the funding for research on weather systems, including floods. There have also been reductions in the funding support for scientific analyses of how climate change will affect the severity of storms. Deep funding cuts to NOAA may result in the termination of both the National Severe Storms Lab and the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations at the University of Oklahoma, which will have a highly negative impact on the understanding of storms. Read more: Canadian floods The Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory was established in 2024 at Western University to conduct leading research on severe weather in Canada. Flooding is the most common and costly disaster in Canada. In the past decade, floods have averaged nearly $800 million in insured losses annually. Over time, the potential for extreme rainfall events is increasing. Heavy rainfall events and their ensuing flood risks are increasing because of warmer temperatures. Canadian data shows that climate change is driving increasingly severe and frequent floods. Is Canada prepared? Flooding will only get worse in the future, and government action is needed to manage this growing risk. One of the ways in which Canada isn't prepared is that most flood-risk maps are out of date, with some being decades old. While Environment and Climate Change Canada issues weather watches and warnings for things like tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and rainfall, it doesn't provide flood forecasts. Most provinces argue that water resources are natural resources and are therefore under provincial jurisdiction. This means that weather forecasts across the country are provided by the Meteorological Service of Canada, while flood forecasts are produced by each of the provinces. It is important to take actions to address adaptation and climate resilience that consider future floods and their impacts. Federal, provincial and territorial governments will need to work together to avoid tragedies. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Gordon McBean, Western University Read more: The anatomy of a flash flood: Why the Texas flood was so deadly FEMA's flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks, leaving homeowners unprepared When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery Gordon McBean has received funding from the Canadian funding agencies (SSHRC, NSERC) for academic research in the past. He has received funding for research from Western University including one grant that has not yet been completed and from the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction to participate in scientific meetings and conferences.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Hand sanitizer fire in South LA burns through the night
Amid concerns that water would only worsen the situation, Los Angeles firefighters allowed pallets full of hand sanitizers to burn throughout Thursday night. The fire started at about 5 p.m. in a storage lot along the 5400 block of South Avalon Boulevard. The Los Angeles Fire Department opted for a controlled burn because of the high-alcohol content of the hand sanitizer. "Water cannot be used safely in these conditions, as alcohol can float on water and spread flames. Crews are instead focused on protecting nearby structures and limiting environmental impact from runoff," an LAFD spokesperson said. Firefighters built sand dams to protect storm drains and requested large quantities of foam to suppress flames. The LAFD believes the fire will continue to burn throughout most of the night. It will rotate about 40 firefighters to monitor the flames. No one was injured in the fire, according to LAFD. Investigators have not determined what caused the fire.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Classic 3-Ingredient Summer Cocktail That's So Easy To Transform Into A Frozen Treat
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. This summer weather is no joke. With temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (or higher, if you're in the Southwest), going all the way out to a bar before sundown can be an unpleasantly hot and sweaty affair. Chill at home and bring a taste of your favorite drinks to the kitchen. The only thing cooler than being cool is an ice-cold cocktail, and a frozen Aperol spritz might be calling your name. The Aperol spritz is full of bright orange and herbal flavors that are enhanced by the bubbly Prosecco and carbonated water. It's super easy to make, and our Aperol spritz recipe involves a ratio of three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, and a splash of club soda. When frozen, the coldness makes the drink feel extra refreshing to the palate, and the ingredients blend into a smooth slushy consistency. You can pour the Aperol spritz ingredients into a slushy machine or blender with ice cubes on a low setting — over-blending will turn it back into liquid. Adding freshly squeezed orange or mango juice will enhance the texture and prevent it from tasting too watery. Grab a coupe glass and some orange slices to garnish, and you'll be ready to mix the coldest drink of the summer. Read more: Store-Bought Lemonade, Ranked From Worst To Best Appliances For Mixing Frozen Summer Cocktails The ideal appliance for making a frozen Aperol spritz isn't always a blender. Instead, a decent slushy machine offers a smoother consistency and thickness that you can adjust in the settings. Blenders use ice to chill the Aperol spritz ingredients, which can dilute the delicate cocktail ratio and alter the taste. Slushy machines utilize cooling technology to freeze drinks, eliminating the need for ice. Ninja, the brand known for its high-tech kitchen appliances, introduced its Slushi machine model in 2024 with a lot of hype. The Ninja Slushi sells for $349.99 on Amazon, but there are cheaper alternatives if you're not a frequent slushy cocktail enjoyer. The Inoviva Slushie Machine often retails under $300 on Amazon, and the Iceman Slush-Ease is $199 for Costco members. Making a frozen Aperol spritz with a blender is still possible, but requires a creative use of your ice cube freezer tray. Most trays hold around 1 ounce per cube, so you can pre-mix or split your Aperol spritz ingredients — say, four units of Aperol, four units of water, and four units of pure orange juice. It's okay if the Aperol doesn't completely solidify because of its alcohol content. After the cubes freeze overnight, throw them into the blender with an equivalent amount of Prosecco. The texture might not be as predictable as using a slushy machine, but you'll still have a refreshing frosted Aperol spritz to sip this summer. Read the original article on Chowhound.
