Four months after flash flooding killed 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, victims’ families are suing the Texas camp and its managers – claiming negligence and lack of emergency planning. The families of seven girls and counselors filed three separate lawsuits in Texas state courts this week.
They allege Camp Mystic’s leaders waited until “it was too late” to evacuate the young girls, despite knowing the property sat in flood-prone areas along the Guadalupe River.
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What the lawsuits allege
One of the lawsuits was filed by five families of the campers and counselors who died. It claims that a groundskeeper was directed to spend more than an hour evacuating equipment. Meanwhile, the girls and counselors closest to the Guadalupe River were ordered to remain in their cabin.
ABC reports the lawsuit also claims that camp leaders “focused on profits over safety,” made “catastrophic decisions concerning the cabin locations,” and had unsafe policies regarding floods, including an alleged “never evacuate” order.
The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in damages, and lists Camp Mystic, affiliated entities and its owners, the estate of camp owner Richard Eastland, who also died in the flooding, and his family members as defendants.
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Camp Mystic is a historic Christian summer camp for girls in the Texas Hill Country, established in 1926 by U.T. coach “Doc” Stewart.
“These young girls died because a for-profit camp put profit over safety,” the lawsuit said. “The camp chose to house young girls in cabins sitting in flood-prone areas, despite the risk, to avoid the cost of relocating the cabins.”
A second lawsuit was filed by 8-year-old Eloise “LuLu” Peck’s parents after she was killed in the flooding. It says victims were killed “after, predictably, the river rapidly rose, and floodwaters swept through what Camp Mystic knew was a vulnerable and low-lying area of the Camp.”
A third lawsuit, filed by the father of 9-year-old Ellen Getten, makes similar allegations.
Camp Mystic’s response
Camp Mystic responded to the lawsuits in a statement to ABC saying, “We continue to pray for the grieving families and ask for God’s healing and comfort.”
Its attorney, Jeff Ray, said: “We intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and that no adequate warning systems existed in the area.”
Ray added, “We disagree with several accusations and misinformation in the legal filings regarding the actions of Camp Mystic and Dick Eastland, who lost his life as well. We will thoroughly respond to these accusations in due course.”
Prior to the lawsuits, the camp announced plans to reopen one of its summer camps, Camp Mystic Cypress, next year. However, Camp Mystic Guadalupe River will remain closed due to the damage it sustained during the flooding.
The lawsuits addressed the reopening, saying “The Camp is ready to move on, but these girls and their parents first deserve transparency and justice.”
The flood and aftermath
The July 4 disaster struck after 12 inches of rain fell in less than six hours, causing the Guadalupe River to rise more than 20 feet per hour, according to ABC News.
More than 135 people were killed in the flooding across the region, including 117 in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located.
Following the disaster, county regulations regarding the development of summer camps in an area known as “Flash Flood Alley” came under scrutiny, prompting the state to pass legislation aimed at enhancing safety. That legislation established a grant program to support the installation of early warning sirens in areas prone to flash flooding.
