A timeline of key events in the deadly flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas
Apr 28, 2026, 8:40 AM
FILE - Emmalynn Lytal, center, sister of Kellyane Lytal, stands with her mother Malorie Lytal, and other family of children who died at Camp Mystic as they watch Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, sign camp safety bills into law, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)
Camp Mystic’s plan to reopen this summer — less than a year after catastrophic floods in Texas Hill Country killed 25 young campers and two teenage counselors — has angered some of the victims’ families.
Owners of the Christian all-girls camp, who hope to welcome campers back starting in May, say they have made safety improvements and that devastated areas closest to the Guadalupe River will remain closed.
Texas health regulators are reviewing whether to renew Camp Mystic’s license that would allow the camp to resume operations and mark its 100th anniversary.
Here’s a timeline of key events related to the deadly flooding:
Two days before the flood, state inspectors approve Camp Mystic’s safety plan, according to Department of State Health Services records. Their report notes the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding “procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster.” Among them: instructing campers what to do if they need to evacuate and assigning specific duties to each staff member and counselor.
A storm unleashes heavy, isolated rainfall early on July 4, 2025, that sent floodwaters rushing down the Guadalupe River through the hilly region in central Texas. The fast-rising waters quickly overtake two cabins closest to the river where the youngest girls are housed, sweeping them to their deaths. Camp owner Richard Eastland also dies in the flooding.
Flanked by family members who lost their children at Camp Mystic, Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 5 signs several bills into law aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future. The measures prohibit cabins in dangerous parts of flood zones and require camp operators to develop detailed emergency plans, to train workers and to install and maintain emergency warning systems. One allocates $240 million for disaster relief, along with money for warning sirens and improved weather forecasting.
The owners of Camp Mystic announce a plan to partially reopen the camp in a Sept. 23 letter to parents, prompting outrage from some of the flooding victims’ families. The camp also says it will build a memorial to those killed in the flooding. Parents say they weren’t consulted about the decision. Cici Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile remains missing, writes in a scathing letter that campers will “swim in the same river that may potentially still hold my daughter’s body.” Parents call the plan ”unthinkable.”
The families of the girls who died in the flooding file lawsuits alleging the operators of Camp Mystic failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached. The lawsuits, filed Nov. 10 in state court in Austin, seek more than $1 million in damages but do not specify an exact amount.
Texas health regulators tell Camp Mystic’s owners they are investigating hundreds of complaints against the camp as the state considers whether to allow it to reopen this summer. The investigations announced April 7 underscore the hurdles facing Camp Mystic as it pushes ahead with a plan to reopen over the outrage of the victims’ families.
Texas state regulators find nearly two dozen deficiencies in the emergency operations plan submitted by the owners of Camp Mystic as they prepare to reopen. An 11-page report sent April 24 by the Health Services Department notes problems with flood warning evacuation plans, use of an emergency warning and public address system, monitoring safety alerts and safety training.
The April 13-15 hearing shines new light on what happened before and during the flood. Camp director Edward Eastland acknowledges lives could have been saved if staff had acted sooner, but insists they could not have anticipated the severity of the storm. A security guard testifies he received no orders from camp officials on what to do as the floodwaters rose but was able to help a group of campers escape to safety.
An investigator told lawmakers on Thursday that young and inexperienced counselors were not trained to help campers during floods or other emergencies, and feared making decisions on their own. Casey Garrett said a “obedience” culture paired poorly trained teenage counselors with the youngest campers and was complacent about flood warnings. A written report is expected later this year.
