Mary Liz Eastland failed to develop proper emergency plans or properly respond to the flood that killed 25 campers and two counselors last year, the order states.
The agency said Mary Liz Eastland failed to develop adequate emergency plans before a flood killed 25 campers and two counselors last year.
Dozens of bills were rejected over nearly 60 years, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Some measures would have prohibited youth camps and new construction in high-risk flood areas.
Camp Mystic planned to reopen this summer at its Cypress Lake location a half-mile away from the Guadalupe River location, but the Eastland family elected to not renew its camp license application on Thursday.
Camp Mystic officials have withdrawn their application for a license to operate this summer, a year after devastating floods tore through the river-side camp site, killing 25 young campers and two teenage counselors.
Camp Mystic withdrew an application to renew its license on Thursday, following two days of emotional testimony at the Texas Capitol.
After nine hours of emotional testimony from parents affected by the Hill Country floods, one mother from San Antonio testified in front of Texas State lawmakers inside the state Capitol on Tuesday, criticizing Camp Mystic’s directors.
“I think about the night of the flood every moment of every day,” Edward Eastland said at a committee hearing Tuesday. “We tried our hardest that night and it wasn’t enough to save your daughters.”
One of the directors of Camp Mystic has offered a tearful apology to the families of the 25 girls and two teen counselors killed in the 2025 Texas flood.
A state lawmaker suggested a scenario in which Camp Mystic could open, but without the Eastland family involved in running the business during the second open meeting on Tuesday in Austin.
Inexperienced teenage counselors were not trained to handle flood and other emergency situations at Camp Mystic, and feared making decisions on their own.
Camp Mystic counselors were not trained in emergency management procedures and unable to communicate with others during the deadly Hill Country floods, an investigator testified during the first public hearing on Monday.
The summer camp hadn’t prepared counselors and staff with adequate emergency training, an evacuation plan or flood preparedness supplies, the investigator concluded.
Camp Mystic has 45 days to correct its emergency plan before the state will consider renewing its license to reopen the Cypress Lake location this summer, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) told the camp Thursday.
The camp has 45 days to revise its plan as it aims to reopen for campers this summer. Other youth camps also had deficiencies to correct in their plans, according to the agency that must review them.
On Tuesday, the Eastlands, the family that owns and operates the camp, took the witness stand to answer questions about their actions leading up to the July 4 tragedy and afterward.
The deaths of more than two dozen campers and counselors at Camp Mystic during the July 4 floods in the Hill Country were a tragedy. But were they also a crime?
Camp Mystic filed to renew its license in March. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has repeatedly urged state officials to reject the application.
The Texas Rangers are joining the state investigation into allegations of neglect by Camp Mystic during the July 4 floods in the Hill Country.
Texas health regulators have told Camp Mystic’s owners they are investigating hundreds of complaints following last year’s deadly floods that killed 27 girls.
Cabins, grounds and other buildings hit by the July 4 flood on the Guadalupe River cannot be renovated or removed, according to the order.
A Texas judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve damaged cabins and other parts of the grounds hit by last year’s catastrophic flood that swept away and killed 25 girls and two counselors.
Thousands hit the pavement for the Run the Alamo marathon Sunday morning, and one team ran with a mission beyond finishing times.
There has been disagreement in the Texas Legislature over the events that unfolded at Camp Mystic during the deadly Hill Country floods.
The lieutenant governor’s request to delay renewing the camp’s license came hours after parents who lost children in the July 4 flood sued the state for its alleged failure to enforce an evacuation plan requirement.
The lawsuit by Catherine and Will Steward, parents of Cecilia “Cile” Steward, argues the family who owns and operates the camp should “never be responsible for children again.”
For the first time, the parents of 8-year-old Kellyanne Lytal, who died in the floodwaters at Camp Mystic, are sharing their story.
A woman accused of posing as the family of a Hill Country flooding victim to obtain online donations has been arrested in Florida by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen.
Hundreds of newly released messages add more detail to the devastating timeline of the deadly floods.
Nearly six months after a roaring flood killed 25 girls and two counselors at Camp Mystic in central Texas, the 100-year-old camp will begin enrolling new campers in January.
Several camps in the Hill Country are installing a potentially life-saving tool they hope never has to be used.
Britt Eastland, the co-director of Camp Mystic Cypress Lake in Hunt, spoke to KSAT about why the camp is taking extra safety precautions following the deadly Hill Country floods on July 4, 2025.
Britt Eastland, the co-director of Camp Mystic Cypress Lake in Hunt, spoke to KSAT about why the camp is taking extra safety precautions following the deadly Hill Country floods on July 4, 2025.
Amid catastrophic flooding and cries for help on the morning of July 4, newly released 911 calls reveal Kerr County dispatchers remaining calm and steady-handed, while several community members were attempting to help their neighbors.
The owners of Camp Mystic in Texas have announced new safety upgrades following a tragic July 4 flood that killed 25 campers and two counselors.
Mental health experts expect the July 4 floods have resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder, unhealthy hypervigilance and recurring thoughts on disasters among campers.
Lawsuits began to be filed on Monday against Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors died during the Fourth of July floods in the Hill Country.
The families of five campers and two counselors who died during the Hill Country floods have filed a lawsuit against Camp Mystic and its owners, alleging “gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety,” according to the lawsuit.
The families of some of the 25 girls and two teenage counselors who died in catastrophic flooding in Texas on July 4 are suing Camp Mystic and its owners.
Four lawsuits that were filed separately Monday allege Camp Mystic officials’ lack of planning and stalled evacuation contributed to the deaths of several children and counselors.
Heart O’ the Hills Camp for Girls will construct new facilities out of the Guadalupe River floodplain, according to its new operators Elisabeth and John Hay.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Camp Mystic leaders would be invited to testify before the committees, as part of what Speaker Dustin Burrows said would be a “comprehensive and thorough review.”
During a Friday state hearing, parents of July 4 flood victims said camps should prioritize the safety even if costs are high.
The family of an 8-year-old girl still missing after the devastating July 4 floods sent a blistering letter to Camp Mystic leadership following the announcement that the camp will reopen next year.
The parents of the only girl still missing from the July flood at Camp Mystic in Texas are demanding the camp halt its reopening plans.
The camp sent a letter to families and alumni Tuesday, announcing it would reopen one of its two locations for summer 2026, which is the organization’s 100th anniversary.
The family of the only girl who remains missing after the July 4 flood wants a halt to all discussions of reopening and memorials to the 27 campers and staff who were killed.
Before the two do battle on the gridiron — for perhaps the final time for a long time — Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University put their metroplex melee on the backburner on Thursday.
Joined by a throng of lawmakers and the families of flood victims from Camp Mystic, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed three flood and camp safety bills into law.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott will sign two camp safety bills into law on Friday morning in Austin in response to the deadly July flooding.
The families of some of the children who died at Texas' Camp Mystic during catastrophic flooding two months joined Gov. Greg Abbott for a ceremonial bill signing.
Both legislative chambers adjourned without agreeing on changes to Senate Bill 2, which aimed to create new training and licensing requirements for local officials.
As the Texas legislature debates a new camp safety bill, three Kerr County camps are pushing to have one part of the bill removed. They say the costs of moving cabins out of flood zones could cause them to close.
More than 75 Texas camps have met dozens of safety standards to become accredited by the American Camp Association, which can be a lengthy and costly process.
Camp Mystic and Richard “Dick” Eastland’s family expressed their support Thursday for Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1, legislation aimed at improving safety at camps and communities along the Guadalupe River.
The parents of Camp Mystic flood victims delivered emotional testimonies before the Texas Senate Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding on Tuesday, urging lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1.
The parents of Camp Mystic flood victims are scheduled to testify at a Texas Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.
Parents of the 27 Camp Mystic girls killed in the deadly Hill Country flooding last month met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders to push for youth camp safety reform.
The Kerrville Independent School District started the new academic year on Wednesday morning as its community continues to recover from the devastating July 4 floods that impacted the Texas Hill Country.
A state Senate committee convened Friday to deliberate legislation aimed at bolstering the state’s readiness for natural disasters following the July flooding that killed more than 130 in Central Texas.
The Associated Press has assembled a chronology of chaotic rescue efforts as a flash flood barreled through the Hill Country of Central Texas before dawn July 4.
Dramatic 911 calls from the Fourth of July flooding in the Texas Hill Country have been released. These calls reveal the desperation of those caught up in the disaster.
Monday, Aug. 4, marked one month since catastrophic flooding ripped through the Texas Hill Country, killing over 100 people in Kerr County alone.
Only one girl from Camp Mystic and one adult male remain missing more than two weeks after the deadly Hill Country floods, Gov. Greg Abbott said on social media Tuesday.
Officials in a Texas hill country community pummeled by deadly flooding on July 4 say just three people remain missing, down from nearly 100.
The mother of Camp Mystic camper Blakely McCrory shared letters that her daughter sent before the fatal Hill Country Floods.
A spokesman for Camp Mystic, the Texas enclave devastated by a July 4 flash flood, is raising concerns about communication failures during the disaster.
Katherine Ferruzzo, a Camp Mystic counselor who had been unaccounted for a week after the deadly Hill Country floods, was confirmed dead on Friday, her family announced.
Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic’s buildings from their 100-year flood map, as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors.
Green ribbons have been appearing across the community, in Alamo Heights particularly, to honor campers from Camp Mystic who died or remain missing in the recent deadly Hill Country floods. The ribbons also serve as a symbol of support for all flood victims.
Robert Earl Keen, who owns a ranch just outside Kerrville, is lending his talents in an upcoming concert that will benefit many of his Hill Country neighbors impacted by last week’s floods.
Most U.S. adults who've experienced major flooding in the past five years think climate change was at least a partial cause.
Texas police described some of the harrowing rescues they conducted after flash floods engulfed camps and homes in the state's Hill Country.
State officials verified that Camp Mystic had an emergency plan in place before the July 4 floods, according to records obtained Tuesday by KSAT Investigates.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, was credited with saving 169 kids from the floods on the morning of July 4 in Kerr County, including girls from Camp Mystic.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says more than 160 people are believed to be still missing days after flash floods killed more than 100 people across central Texas.
Normally, Michael McKenzie uses a trolley car to sell ice cream and hot chocolate in the City of Kyle. Now he’s driving that same trolley to deliver hot meals to those in need in the aftermath of the catastrophic July 4 flooding across the Hill Country.
In the days after the devastating flood that killed dozens in Central Texas, local officials have deflected direct questions about preparations and warnings in advance of the storm that struck July Fourth.
A faculty member at the University of Texas at San Antonio was among the confirmed victims in the Central Texas flooding, according to a press release from the university.
Several players on the Trinity University football team are in the Hill Country to volunteer their time to help recovery efforts in the area.
At least 84 people, including 28 children, were killed in Kerr County, and another six were found dead in Kendall County due to flooding, officials said Monday.
Camp Mystic has confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and camp counselors in the catastrophic floods on July 4, according to a statement on the camp’s website.
The death toll from flash floods that raged through central Texas has risen to 82 after searchers found more bodies.