Summer camps across the country are sharing their condolences after a devastating flood in Texas killed 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic during the Fourth of July weekend, including camp co-owner and co-director Dick Eastland. An additional five campers and one counselor are still missing as of Tuesday, July 8.
The Kerr County -based camp, located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, is a private, all-girls Christian overnight camp that has long served as a popular summer destination for political elites and their children. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson sent his daughters, Lynda and Luci, there in the 1950s and former First Lady Laura Bush once worked there as a counselor. Interestingly, the camp also suffered a flash flood that destroyed much of its property in 1932, only a few years after its founding.
Many surviving campers were evacuated by helicopter or by bus. A video of several campers aboard a bus singing hymns as they evacuate, which was shared by a Camp Mystic nurse, has since gone viral on social media.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” reads a statement that Camp Mystic posted on social media. “We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.”
As of Monday, 104 people in total were reported killed by flash floods in Kent County. Another summer camp along the Guadalupe River, Heart O’ the Hills Camp for Girls, suffered the loss of its director, Jane Ragsdale.
The American Camp Association (ACA) has also put out a statement discussing how the nonprofit organization is working to aid and support the camp communities affected by the floods. Some of the groups collecting donations and resources for the area include the Kent County Flood Relief Fund, Texas Community Recovery and the ACA’s own Disaster Assistance Scholarship Fund.
“In times like these, the loss of even one life touches every camp, because the camp community is and has always been deeply interconnected. We stand together in sorrow, in solidarity and in support,” reads the American Camp Association’s official statement. “While the coming days will bring grief and heartbreak, the strength of the camp community lies in its unity. From Hill Country to the Heartland, in camps from coast to coast, this community has always found strength in connection and support.”
The ACA added in an Associated Press article that concerned parents sending their children to camp this summer should ask camp staff how they stay in touch with local emergency services and first responders. Some camps have limited electricity and access to the outside world, and children may not be able to immediately call their parents in the event of an emergency.
