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New York Post
6 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Almost 20 Camp Mystic cabins were in known flood zone — despite recent $5M overhaul of century-old site
More than a dozen Camp Mystic cabins were in a known flood zone, with girls left without phones, internet or power when the devastating flash floods swept through the century-old summer destination in Texas on Friday. Despite a recent multimillion-dollar overhaul of the Christian girls' camp in Kerr County, the site still had limited to no flood defense, with some of the older campers resorting to shining flashlights from the cabins in an attempt to attract the attention of rescuers. At least 19 cabins at Camp Mystic were located in designated flood zones, including some in an area deemed 'extremely hazardous' by the county, analysis of federal data by the New York Times shows. 10 More than two dozen campers and staff members were killed in last week's floods in Central Texas. AP Six years ago, the camp — founded in 1926 — was expanded in a $5 million construction project, but instead of relocating cabins to higher grounds, new ones were added in the flood zone, analysis shows. The older cabins along the river also remained in use, data shows. Some of the cabins were so close to the banks of the Guadalupe River that they were considered part of the river's 'floodway,' meaning any construction is either banned or extremely restricted by many states and counties. Floodways were considered 'an extremely hazardous area due to the velocity of floodwaters which carry debris, potential projectiles and erosion potential,' Kerr County said when it adopted new rules in 2020, one year after the Camp Mystic construction work, to limit new construction in floodways. 10 Chairs lie inside a damaged room following flooding on the Guadalupe River. REUTERS 10 Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million renovation in 2019 —but still built new cabins in flood zones. Falon Wriede / NY Post Design Even some of the new cabins, built on a hillside to the south of the main camp called Cypress Lake, were still in areas at risk of flooding, maps of the zone show. The dangers posed by flash flooding in Kerr County, which lies in the middle of the Texas Hill Country, were known for decades by Camp Mystic managers and emergency officials. After 10 teenagers were killed by devastating flooding at a nearby camp in 1987, rain gauges were installed in the region to notify emergency personnel of imminent floods. 10 Many of the cabins were built in the 'floodway,' where construction is banned in most states and counties. AP In addition, many of the campers and counselors didn't have their phones on them, as the children were not allowed access to any technology, camp counselor Nancy Clement, 18, told the Times. As rising floodwaters on July 4 took out the power, the camp lost all internet service and was cut off from the outside world. Girls from one cabin ran to the office of a retired police officer kept on site to help provide security as floodwaters rose in the early hours of the holiday. 10 Terrified girls were trapped in their cabins as floodwaters rose. AFP via Getty Images The camp owners drove between cabins to wake up the children, while a teen counselor stood on a porch and flashed her flashlight on and off while screaming for help, Clement said. Clement and several others began piling their belongings on top of their mattresses inside a staff cabin, before their door cracked in half and flood water poured in, she said. Some of the women and girls climbed onto a windowsill and pulled themselves and others up onto the roof of the cabin. 10 Many of the campers had no access to their phones and were stuck without power when flooding struck. AP Girls could be heard singing some of their camp songs about God's love in a nearby building, Clement described. One clung onto her phone, keys and a plushie toy she had owned since childhood as she waited for the water to recede, she said. Another counselor, Holly Kate Hurley, recalled the helplessness of being unable to look for the missing girls and counselors. 10 Twin sisters, Hanna Lawrence, left, and Rebecca Lawrence, right, were two of the victims killed by the flooding at Camp Mystic in central Texas on Friday, July 4. AP 10 Clothing belonging to a camper left behind on a tree. AP 'That was the hardest part — knowing there were girls out there fighting for their lives and there was nothing we could do,' she said. A total of 27 children and staff members are known to have died in the flooding, while five young campers and one counselor are still unaccounted for. Camp Mystic officials did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding the camp's construction or flood preparations. 10 An 'after' pic of the flooding of Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images 10 New York Post front cover from July 6, 2025, featuring four Camp Mystic girls dead, with 23 others remaining missing. It passed a state inspection on July 2, just two days before the deadly flooding, with inspectors noting that emergency and evacuations were in place, although this was not detailed in the report. 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,' camp officials said in a statement on the camp's website.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Horrifying Texas flood before-and-after images show devastating damage at Camp Mystic
Devastating new satellite images reveal the extent of the Texas floods destruction at Camp Mystic and all along the Guadeloupe River. Aerial photographs of the Christian girls' summer camp that bore the brunt of Friday's flooding show trees swept away, cabins devastated and debris scattered across the site. Mud traveled hundreds of feet after the Guadalupe River rose an astonishing 27 feet in just 45 minutes. At least 119 people have been killed across the Lone Star State. In Kerry County, where Camp Mystic is located, 95 people have been found dead — and 150 others are still missing. Advertisement 5 This satellite image of Camp Mystic, taken after the flood, shows the damage that the raging water caused — including to the Bubble Inn, a cabin where every camper was swept away. Falon Wriede / NY Post Design The before and after pictures demonstrate the effects the flooding had on the area in Central Texas Advertisement The images provided by Maxar Technologies show an entire bank of trees alongside the river laid to waste. Dozens of emergency vehicles can also be seen in the aftermath pictures, taken on Tuesday. At least 27 of the dead were campers or counselors at Camp Mystic, many of them 8 or 9 years old. Advertisement 5 The campers and counselors from the Bubble Inn cabin at Camp Mystic. Facebook The images also show the location of the Bubble Inn, where all 13 campers and both counselors either died or are still missing. It appears to be located farther from the river than some of the other cabins. Five campers and one counselor are still missing, officials said on Wednesday, while another child not associated with the camp is also missing, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The camp's owner and director, Dick Eastland, 74, also died in the flooding. Advertisement There have been no 'live rescues' since Friday, and the chances of finding further survivors is decreasing with each passing day, Jonathan Lamb with the Kerrville Police Department said at a press conference. At least 10 others are missing elsewhere across Texas, officials said on Wednesday. Follow The Post's coverage on the deadly Texas flooding A total of 650 people including around 550 children were staying at Camp Mystic when the Guadalupe River burst its banks early on Friday morning, according to inspection reports released by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Most of the older campers were staying in cabins on Senior Hill, and were less affected by the flooding, as aerial images show. However, the cabins for younger campers, along with other facilities such as the Dining Hall, Rec Hall, and camp office, were all directly in the path of the floods. Advertisement Emergency crews are covering a long stretch of the Guadalupe River, between the towns of Hunt in Kerr County, and Comfort, over the border in Kendall County. Kerr County residents were urged to shelter in place and avoid areas of destruction during a Wednesday press conference. Advertisement 'Our first responders are trying to get to places to do their jobs, and people coming here from outside the community and people within the community who want to go sightsee and look at the river, see the flood damage, making our job very hard,' Jonathan Lamb said. 'We ask folks to give us room to work.' 5 Inside a cabin in Camp Mystic that was devastated by flooding. REUTERS Advertisement 5 The death toll from the floods has now risen to 119, with at least 171 still missing. AP 5 The belongings of campers at Camp Mystic piled up outside a building after flooding hit the camp on July 7, 2025. AP County residents were also warned not to try and search through the huge debris piles still lining the river without contacting authorities. 'We asked them not to use heavy equipment to take down those debris piles until they've been checked by a search party, because it's possible there are victims in that debris pile,' said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Camp Mystic's disaster plan OK'd by state inspectors 2 days before deadly Texas floods
Camp Mystic's emergency plan was approved by Texas inspectors just two days before disaster struck Friday when floods ravaged the grounds, killing 27 campers and counselors, according to a report. The camp complied with a laundry list of regulations regarding 'procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster,' including evacuation plans, according to records from the Department of State Health Services obtained by The Associated Press. Five years of inspection records reviewed by the AP, however, did not detail Camp Mystic's disaster plan, which are required by state law to be posted in all camp buildings. Advertisement The all-girl Christian camp founded in 1926 didn't evacuate before the catastrophic rainfall in the already flood-prone area along the Guadalupe Rivera that led to the deadliest floods Texas has seen in more than a century. 6 A search and rescue crew drives on the Guadalupe River past Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas on July 7, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 6 A Camp Mystic sign sits on top of the remains of a building near the entrance of the camp on the Guadalupe River on July 5, 2025. AP Advertisement Local and state officials have repeatedly avoided answering questions about who was monitoring the approaching storm and what steps were taken to prepare for the flooding. The waters inundated the Guadalupe River and swept away cabins, tents and trailers. Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor remain missing. 6 The campus of Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. Falon Wriede / NY Post Design Advertisement 6 People sift through children's belongings left behind at Camp Mystic on July 7, 2025. Getty Images 6 A satellite image of Camp Mystic after the flash flood on July 8, 2025. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images 6 The flooded interior of a cabin at Camp Mystic where at least 20 girls went missing on during the flooding. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Overall, at least 172 people are still missing in Texas' Hill Country days after once-in-a generation flash floods, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday. Abbott took a helicopter tour of the affected area, noting the death tolls from the floods — which now stands at 111 — has surpassed the number of Texans killed in Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, in which 103 people died. Kerr County, where Camp Mystic was located, accounted for 87 of the deaths. Rescuers continue to search for survivors.
