Latest news with #summerCamps
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
A Fact About the Floods the Government Doesn't Seem Eager to Discuss
When a reporter demanded to know why the summer camps along the Guadalupe River weren't evacuated before its waters reached their deadly peak on July 4, Rob Kelly, the highest-ranking local official, had a simple answer: 'No one knew this kind of flood was coming.' Why not? Kerr County, Texas, had lots of history to go on — as Judge Kelly went on to explain: 'We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.' The National Weather Service had even brought in extra staff that night. Most important, the service had issued three increasingly dire warnings early that morning — at 1:14 a.m., 4:03 a.m. and 6:06 a.m. What Kelly didn't mention, but which has since become well known, is that the Weather Service employee whose job it was to make sure those warnings got traction — Paul Yura, the long-serving meteorologist in charge of 'warning coordination' — had recently taken an unplanned early retirement amid cuts pushed by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. He was not replaced. To a Washington bean counter, his loss might have looked like one tiny but welcome subtraction in a giant spreadsheet, but not in a region so prone to these perilous events that it's known as Flash Flood Alley. Hundreds of kids at summer camps slept in cabins along the river. The plan was for folks at the upstream summer camps to send word to the downstream camps if floodwaters got scary. But if even the highest official in the county wasn't on high alert, how were the camp counselors supposed to understand the danger — or, in an area without reliable cellphone coverage, to act on it? Few would dispute that the federal bureaucracy was, and still is, in need of reform. But instead of a targeted, smart and strategic intervention, DOGE brought a chain saw to vital government services, pushing large, indiscriminate cuts with little consideration for the expertise that longtime employees offered or the importance of the functions they performed. It's not hard to understand why many experienced civil servants like Yura, especially those with private sector options, would leave under these conditions. In fact it's remarkable any of them stayed. And of course what happened at the National Weather Service happened across a wide array of federal agencies. Not all of the damage will be this obvious, at least not at first. Much of it will be a matter of death by a thousand cuts — systems and structures that weaken and are not repaired, important but less visible jobs going undone, services that we all took for granted slowing down and even sputtering to a halt. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Summer camps in full swing across Lethbridge
School's out and summer camps are popping up all over Lethbridge. Families are signing up their kids for some fun experiences over their break. School's out and summer camps are popping up all over Lethbridge. Families are signing up their kids for some fun experiences over their break. The University of Lethbridge had been quiet since the winter semester ended. But that changed last week with the start of its annual summer day camps. 'We are always really busy, and we are busy again. So, we are about 98 per cent full for our summer camps. There's a few spots left and random camp, but we're definitely hitting our marks for sure,' said Stephanie Cook with University of Lethbridge athletics and recreation services. Lethbridge Polytechnic's summer camps just opened this week. This year will feature new technology-based camps. A coding camp has been added this year after kids in last year's camps asked about one. 'Some of the new camps that we're looking to add this summer are technology-focused camps that were really inspired by our campers and their families, who are really passionate about exploring interesting areas within technology. So, we've added a coding camp, a game designer camp, as well as a STEM camp this upcoming summer,' said Lethbridge Polytechnic youth initiatives manager Paige Thornborough. The University of Lethbridge had been quiet since the winter semester ended. But that changed last week with the start of its annual summer day camps. The University of Lethbridge had been quiet since the winter semester ended. But that changed last week with the start of its annual summer day camps. It isn't just Lethbridge's post-secondaries running camps. The YMCA has its day camps in full swing. There are still spaces left for later in the summer, but they're filling up quickly. While the summer camps are fun, the threat of measles is looming. Since March, the south zone has seen 753 cases of measles. None of the three-day camp providers have changed their sanitation policy, but they are making sure to clean and sanitize often. The University of Lethbridge had been quiet since the winter semester ended. But that changed last week with the start of its annual summer day camps. The University of Lethbridge had been quiet since the winter semester ended. But that changed last week with the start of its annual summer day camps. 'We take camper health and safety very seriously here at Lethbridge Polytechnic. And any time that families are sending us their campers, we really take that responsibility to heart. So when it comes to ensuring campers' safety and heat waves or illness transmission, there are definitely steps that we already have in place to ensure that campers' safety is again at the absolute top of our priority list,' said Thornborough. A measles vaccination isn't required to attend camp at the YMCA or the post-secondary schools.
Washington Post
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Maps show severe flood risk along the Guadalupe River
More than a dozen summer camps dot the banks of the Guadalupe River and its tributaries, a vast network of waterways twisting through the hills of Kerr County, Texas. But many of the camps' idyllic locales also face the danger of severe flooding, since much of the land near the river is designated as a high-risk area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In the most affected area, on the upper Guadalupe River in Kerr County, at least 13 of them lie next to or are partially inside high-risk flood zones, according to a Washington Post analysis of FEMA maps.
Sky News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Generations of Texas elite in mourning over Camp Mystic tragedy
The area around the Guadalupe River is home to dozens of summer camps, but it is Camp Mystic that was long favoured by the Texas elite. For almost a century, the daughters of senators, presidents, and oil barons would stream through the gates each summer. "The camp has always served as a near-flawless training ground for archetypal Texas women," wrote Texas Monthly writer Mimi Swartz in a 2011 profile. First Lady Laura Bush was a camp counsellor there during college, while President Lyndon B Johnson sent daughters and granddaughters through the green gates. Nicole Nugent Covert, granddaughter of Lady Bird and Lyndon B Johnson, described dropping her daughter off at Mystic. "You get a feeling when you drive up to the Hill Country and you'd see the Mystic sign, and you'd feel the weight of the world had been lifted off you," she told the Austin American-Statesman in 2010. "There were no worries. I still feel that way. When I drop my daughter off, I'm jealous." Once inside the Christian camp, hundreds of girls would learn to ride horses, catch fish, and hunt. They wore white on Sundays, when fried chicken was also served. The halcyon summer days would culminate in a war-canoe race between two competing "tribes". A deposit for the camp cost $400 - while the current full fee is unknown in 2011 it cost $4,300 (£3,150) for a 30-day session. Camp director dies 'saving girls' Founded in 1926, the camp was bought by Agnes Doran Stacy, a Dallas socialite, and her husband, Pop, in 1939, and has stayed in the family for the next three generations. Mystic's family bond came under pressure in 2011 when the Eastland siblings - grandchildren of Agnes - got into a messy legal battle over the 725-acre camp. The family eventually reached a confidential settlement in 2012. Current director Dick Eastland, who ran the camp alongside his wife Tweety, has been confirmed dead by his grandson. George Eastland said his grandfather died trying to save the girls in his care when the flash floods suddenly hit. At first, 27 of the camp's girls were missing, their cabins swept away in waters that rose suddenly at 4am. That figure is now 11 - 10 campers and one counsellor. Renee Smajstrla, Eloise Peck, Janie Hunt and Lila Bonner are among those confirmed to have died. "She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic," Renee's uncle, Shawn Salta, wrote in tribute to her. The 'Mystic mafia' mourns In her 2011 article, Swartz described a "Mystic mafia" of women that stretched across the world, their bonds forged by summers at camp. And those legions of women are mourning today. "Camp Mystic has been my safe haven for years - a place of peace, joy, and true belonging," one wrote on social media. "It's where light lives and God's love overflows. A true slice of Heaven on earth. This weekend, tragedy has struck this sacred space, and my heart is shattered." "Mystic gave me more than I really know how to put into words. my heart breaks for the campers, staff, and their families in this impossible time," another wrote.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Photos of flooded Texas Hill Country, a region dotted with century-old summer camps
Heavy rain fell in a matter of hours on Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state. The rain inundated communities and left scores of people dead and missing. The region is dotted with century-old summer camps that draw thousands of kids annually. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
