Camp Mystic, the nondenominational Christian girls camp in central Texas where 27 campers and counselors died three months ago due to massive floods, will partially reopen next summer.
However, parents of the campers have decried the decision, saying it’s far too soon.
The Eastland family sent letters to parents last week announcing that a second camp opened in 2020, Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, will operate next summer.
Cypress Lake is a half mile from the camp’s Guadalupe River property, where catastrophic flooding swept through several cabins during the early morning hours of July 4. The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, died while attempting to rescue campers.
The Cypress Lake location is elevated on hills and runs independently from the Guadalupe River property on the riverbank. The river property was severely damaged as torrential rain caused the waterway to rise some 26 feet in 45 minutes.
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“We continue to evaluate plans to rebuild Camp Mystic Guadalupe River,” camp officials wrote. “Our planning and procedures will reflect the catastrophic 1,000-year weather event that occurred on July 4, including never having campers return to cabins that had floodwaters inside them.”
State leaders, environmental experts, and mapping data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the campers slept in a long-known flash-flood zone.
Camp leaders also said they plan to design and build a memorial to those who died during the tragedy.
“We hope this space will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance of these beautiful girls,” leaders said. “We continue to pray for the grieving families and all those who lost loved ones.”
Leaders added that “the heart of Camp Mystic has never stopped beating, because you are Mystic.”
According to its website, Camp Mystic also plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary during its reopening next summer. It was established in 1926 by “Doc” Stewart, the former head football coach at the University of Texas.
Parents contend camp didn’t consult them
Blake Bonner, father of 8-year-old flood victim Lila Bonner, told the New York Times that the victim’s families “were not consulted about and did not approve this memorial.”
Other parents have spoken out saying that the news has come too soon, as officials are still searching for the body of eight-year-old camper Cile Steward.
Cile’s parents, CiCi and Will Steward, wrote in a letter last Wednesday that reopening the camp while her body remains missing is “unthinkable.”
“Recovery teams are still out there every day, scouring the river — your backyard— risking their own safety to bring her home to us,” the Stewards wrote. “Yet, instead of recognizing or highlighting that effort, you have not once mentioned her name or the fact that she is still missing.”
They criticized Camp Mystic for not consulting affected families before sharing the news. They alleged that camp leaders have barely acknowledged their daughter’s tragedy.
“Our families remain trapped in the deepest throes of grief,” the Stewards said. “Yet your communications treat our never-ending nightmare as little more than a brief pause before resuming business as usual.”
The Stewards disparaged leaders for saying the camp’s heart is still alive, while for many of the parents, the camp’s “heart stopped beating the moment these 27 girls took their last breath.”
They called for discussions on reopening and memorials to be halted, and instead urged leaders to “fully confront and account” for their role in the catastrophe.
Carrie Hanna, the mother of 8-year-old camper Hadley Hanna who died in the floods, told ABC News that, “there’s only one priority for us right now: finding Cile.”
“Camp Mystic should be putting every ounce of energy and resources into helping the search,” Hanna said. “It’s unfathomable girls would be swimming in that river, while bodies have yet to be recovered.”
Camp leaders later responded to the criticism, defending their decision as it adhered to their commitment to provide a Christian camp experience for young girls to grow.
Camp Mystic to implement new safety measures
Camp Mystic noted that it is working to adhere to new safety legislation from the Texas legislature, including the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act and the Youth Camper Act.
The acts, which Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in September, require new safety features such as prohibiting cabins in flood zones and installing emergency warning systems. Camps must have annual staff training and emergency planning, and have backup power and communication systems set up for emergency evacuations.
Additionally, the state will pay for the installation of warning sirens along the Guadalupe River by next summer.
Pastor Del Way, who leads Calvary Temple Church in nearby Kerrville, told KXXV, channel 25, that he understands the camp’s plans to reopen.
“I do think it’s important to open it back up and let’s go. Let’s do what their mission is,” Way said. “I know these people (at Camp Mystic), they love kids. They love everybody, and they just want to be a blessing.”
But he acknowledges that the camp will never be the same.
“I really don’t understand what it would be like to still be missing your baby—and have somebody thinking we’re gonna open it up,” Way said. “It’s not as usual. It will never be as usual.”
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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2 Responses
I cannot imagine any parent sending their child to this camp. I understand that they are probably in a financially desperate situation, and can not likely survive not having camp for a summer- or longer- but I cannot imagine going to or working at a camp where 27 campers and counselors died the summer before.
How long is long enough to stay closed? The body may never be recovered, or it could be 20 miles downstream. To keep a camp (business/ministry) from its mission forever may be the only solution for this family, but a poor solution at that. The camper’s family will indeed grieve for the rest of their lives, but others are still living and could benefit from what the camp has to offer.