‘It wasn’t enough to save your daughters’: Camp Mystic director aplogises to families of 25 girls killed in 2025 flood
Families are suing for negligence due to inadequate emergency preparedness. The camp will remain closed in certain areas, and a memorial for victims is in the works.A search and rescue team looks for people along the Guadalupe River near a damaged building at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, on July 7, 2025,(AFP)Edward Eastland, one of the directors of the ill-fated Camp Mystic for Girls in Hunt, Texas, where 25 campers and two counselors were killed in a 2025 flood on Tuesday apoligised to the families of the victims. Eastland made the apology during the second day of a special legislative hearing, where organisers of the all-girls Christian camp were grilled by state lawmakers for their lack of safety measures.I am sorry: Edward Eastland“We tried our hardest that night. It wasn’t enough to save your daughters,” Eastland said, adding, I’m so sorry.”The Eastland family owns the 100-year-old camp along the Guadalupe River, and they had proposed reopening it in May of this year for the 2026 summer season.Eastland said he and his father Richard Eastland were on the campsite that night, and that they made a desperate attempt to save the girls when they realized that heavy rain had created a raging flood that ripped through the camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Richard Eastland died in the flood and Edward survived only after being swept into a tree.“These girls were our youngest campers and their amazing counselors who we watched grow up,” Eastland said. “The world was a better place with them in it and the anger at us for not being able to keep them safe is completely reasonable.”Camp Mystic floodThe camp turned into a site of a major tragedy on July 4, 2025, following the devastating floods in Texas. Families of several of the girls, including some who were in attendance on Tuesday for the hearing, are suing the camp for negligence.They have alleged that the camp had lacked preparedness and that the delay in evacuating the girls, despite being warned about the flood, had led to the tragedy.A state judge recently ordered the camp not to alter or repair flood-affected structures to preserve evidence for these lawsuits.Lack of training, delayed evacuationsCasey Garrett, the lead investigator for a special Texas legislative committee examining the flooding at Camp Mystic, said the organizers hadn’t prepared counselors and staff with adequate emergency training, an evacuation plan, or emergency preparedness supplies such as life jackets or ladders.She also said that due to the harried evacuation, campers got temporarily separated on the hillside from counselors.Eastlands promise better preparednessWhile acknowledging the lapses, Britt Eastland, another director of Camp Mystic, told the hearing that said they will dramatically improve training for counselors and stage drills for campers to prepare for floods, fire, tornadoes and intruders. Legislative investigators on Monday noted the camp's previous lack of flood training as a critical problem that contributed to the deaths.According to the Eastland family, areas closest to the Guadalupe River will remain closed even if their license is renewed. They have also committed to building a memorial on-site to honor the 27 lives lost.Key TakeawaysEmergency preparedness is crucial for camps and similar institutions.Acknowledging failures and taking responsibility can be a first step towards healing.Memorializing victims can help families cope with their loss and raise awareness about safety.About the AuthorBobins Vayalil AbrahamBobins loves telling the human side of all stories, from the intersection of geopolitics, international relations, and conflicts around the world. In his nearly one-and-a-half-decade career as a journalist, Bobins has covered South Asia, the Middle East, and North America, from elections to mass protests and conflicts. <br> Bobins has also done extensive reporti
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