Camp Mystic’s Communications Fails During Hill Country Floods, Investigator Testifies AUSTIN, Texas – Criminal Attorney Casey Garrett testified Monday that Camp Mystic’s emergency communication system failed during the deadly July 2025 Hill Country floods, describing the camp’s response as a “failure” that endangered campers. Garrett, appearing before the Senate General Investigating Committee, highlighted systemic shortcomings in the camp’s preparedness, including inadequate training for staff, outdated emergency protocols, and a culture that normalized flooding as a routine occurrence. The testimony marked the first public hearing into the disaster, which claimed the lives of several children and sparked calls for accountability. Garrett’s investigation revealed that the Eastland family, which owns Camp Mystic, was aware of the flood risks long before the July 4 floods. Emails presented during the hearing showed Dick Eastland, a former camp director, referencing historic floods in 1978, 1984, and 2000, suggesting the family had a documented history of dealing with water-related emergencies. Despite this, Garrett argued that the camp’s emergency plan did not meet state code requirements at the time of the disaster. The plan addressed disasters and accidents but failed to account for epidemics, fatalities, or evacuation procedures. Campers were instructed to stay in cabins during emergencies, but no clear evacuation protocols existed. One of the most critical failures, according to Garrett, was the lack of communication tools. Counselors and staff were told to rely on loudspeakers and walkie-talkies in case of power outages, but none of the counselors had access to these devices.#camp_mystic #casey_garrett #eastland_family #sen_jose_menendez #hill_country_floods
Camp Mystic Flood Investigation Reveals Systemic Failures in Safety Protocols AUSTIN, Texas — An investigator into the catastrophic flood that killed 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic has revealed that the camp’s reliance on untrained teenage counselors, a rigid “obedience” culture, and critical delays in evacuation efforts doomed the victims. The findings, presented to Texas lawmakers during a legislative hearing, underscored a lack of emergency preparedness and a failure to heed flood warnings, with the investigator describing the tragedy as “set before any drop of rain fell.” The incident occurred on July 7, 2025, when a sudden and severe flood swept through the all-girls Christian camp located on the banks of the Guadalupe River. The flood, which was exacerbated by heavy rainfall, overwhelmed the camp’s low-lying areas, leading to the deaths of 25 campers and two counselors. Camp owner Richard Eastland, who perished while attempting to evacuate girls to higher ground, was also among the victims. The investigation, led by Casey Garrett, a Houston attorney and investigator for the state’s special legislative committee, detailed how the camp’s safety protocols were woefully inadequate. Garrett emphasized that the counselors, many of whom were teenagers with no formal emergency training, were ill-equipped to handle the crisis. “There was never any real training, no drills of any kind,” she stated during the hearing. The camp’s evacuation plan, which had been approved by a state inspector just two days prior, was described as a one-paragraph directive instructing campers to “stay in their cabins unless told otherwise by the office.” This directive, which falsely claimed all cabins were built on “high, safe locations,” proved fatal as floodwaters surged.#texas #camp_mystic #guadalupe_river #richard_eastland #casey_garrett
