A final report on last summer's deadly July 4th floods at Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country has concluded that the deaths were preventable. Texas state leaders released the 115-page document, which examined what went wrong during the disaster. The floods killed 27 girls and the camp director, in a tragedy that shook the state.
Investigators found that the all-girls camp did not have a real emergency plan in place. According to the report, the camp ignored several chances to safely get everyone out before the water rose. State investigators said there was ample time to evacuate the cabins before tragedy struck.
The report also called out state health inspectors who, it said, missed red flags at the site just days before the floods. Beyond the specific issues at the camp, the document raises broader questions about how state and local government responded in the aftermath. As one consequence, Camp Mystic will remain closed for the entire summer.
The report was prepared by an independent, third-party committee, described as people who did their due diligence to verify what happened. Its findings were taken up at a Texas House hearing on flood recovery in Austin as the one-year anniversary of the disaster approaches. Lawmakers gathered to consider the report and discuss what still needs to be done.
Lawmakers pointed to legislation already passed in response to the tragedy. They referenced omnibus natural disaster bills, including measures tied to emergency response and disaster preparedness. One lawmaker said the majority of the safety provisions had been enacted through what was described as the Camp Safety Act.
Not every measure made it into law. A broader bill, referred to as Senate Bill 2, passed both the House and the Senate but died in conference, which a lawmaker said happened for purely political reasons. He indicated he would file Senate Bill 2 again with a few changes drawn from the investigative findings, to avoid having to introduce dozens of new camp bills next session.
One gap stood out from the findings. Lawmakers said the report identified a need for walkie talkies or some other form of communication for counselors during a crisis or in the moments before one. Members also reviewed records showing flash flood warnings tied to Camp Mystic, along with maps laying out the distances between structures on the site and higher ground.