AUSTIN, Texas – The parents of Camp Mystic flood victims testified at a Texas Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.
The parents testified before the Texas Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Select Committee on Senate Bill 1 as lawmakers consider reforms to improve safety at youth camps across the state.
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A key point from SB1 requires campgrounds in a 100-year floodplain to provide emergency rooftop ladders. It also requires the adoption of flash flood evacuation plans from camp officials.
SB1 would also:
- Establish emergency management succession lines for county judges and mayors, if unavailable.
- Create an emergency manager licensing program led by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
- Streamline justice of the peace procedures in reporting deaths.
This was the first time the families appeared publicly before the Legislature since the floods.
“Our children’s lives were cut short because the safeguards in place were not enough,” a spokesperson for the Campaign for Camp Safety said in a news release. “We are asking lawmakers to make sure no other family ever has to endure the pain we have lived with every day since July 4th.”
Families of the victims have been meeting with state leaders to advocate for reforms, including stronger evacuation protocols, improved oversight and better communication systems.
>> Parents of Camp Mystic victims meet with Texas lawmakers, push for safety reforms
“The families emphasized that while they continue to grieve, they are committed to turning their pain into meaningful and urgent change for all kids, on behalf of their angels they now refer to as ‘Heaven’s 27,’” the release said.
Camp Mystic, situated along the Guadalupe River outside of Hunt, Texas, saw catastrophic devastation after the July 4 flooding. Earlier this month, Kerr County officials named all of the 117 victims. Two are still missing, officials said.
Records obtained by KSAT Investigates in the days following the floods found that state officials verified Camp Mystic had an emergency plan in place two days before the floods.
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