Camp Mystic must undergo changes before it can reopen this summer, Texas officials say
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
April 24, 2026, 4:40 PM EDT / Updated April 24, 2026, 5:22 PM EDTBy Marlene Lenthang and Phil Prazan
Camp Mystic, the Texas girls camp where 27 died in devastating floods last year, must make a slew of changes in order to reopen this summer, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
Several issues — including emergency and parent notification plans — require attention to "meet full compliance" before the Central Texas operation can welcome campers this summer, officials said.
The Texas health department outlined the issues in an emergency plan deficiency letter in response to the camp's application for a license to reopen. The camp had planned to open its Cypress Lake location, which is nearby but not at the same site where the campers died.
The camp has 45 days to make corrections to its plans and resubmit them to the state health department.
In a statement Friday, Mystic said it was reviewing the state notice and working closely with DSHS to address the areas outlined.
"Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our campers, and we hope to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually," it said.
Among the shortcomings the state agency noted: the lack of afloodplain map that outlines the locations of camper cabins; insufficient plans for a designated emergency preparedness coordinator; and insufficient fire evacuation and natural disaster plans. It also cited an insufficient emergency warning system.
A recurring issue the state department noted was a lack of clearly stated staff responsibilities and protocol in emergencies, as well as a lack of clear coordination with local authorities and parent notification.
The state agency also asked Camp Mystic to include a process to notify parents and guardians if any part of the camp is located within a floodplain.
Twenty-five girls, two counselors and Camp Mystic's owner were killed in the July 4 floods in Kerr County. More than 130 people in the region died in the catastrophe triggered by slow-moving thunderstorms that caused the Guadalupe River to overflow its banks.
Some family members of campers have decried the planned reopening of the camp. In February, the families of nine victims of the Camp Mystic floods sued the state, alleging that it failed to enforce a requirement that the camp have an evacuation plan.
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It's getting ugly again.
The state is being ridiculous; it is they who control the information on Texas floodplains. It is they that claim the right to monitor or not monitor the Guadelupe River for flood emergencies.
PropertyRecord.com - Public Property Records
It was also local authorities, the Gaudalupe River Authority and the State of Texas who prevented the deceased owner of Camp Mystic from repairing and maintaining the early warning system he had installed at his own expense on the Gaudalupe River decades ago.
Camp Mystic can get the info from the state and include it in the Camp's brochure and contract.
But I am just guessing here that Republicans throughout the blame system here in central Texas just thought Camp Mystic would just bury a 100 year old Christian tradition and go away. They will not and it's pressure from the other rich Texan families for whom Mystic is as existential to their girl's success as paying someone to fake good SAT scores to get into college.
Imagine suing the state for not enforcing state standards; they must be Democrat families.../S
FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show - The Texas Tribune
FEMA repeatedly downgraded the level of danger at the original Camp Mystic site.
In spite of this, Texas Christians, mostly Republicans with ties to the camp for decades upon decades wat to continue the family tradition of having their girls go to Christian Summer camp like their momma's, Aunts and Grandmoms.
Tradition is a hard, hard habit to kick.
Apparently these people don't know how to listen when God gives them a clear message. Jesus camp is closed.
The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children.
And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.
And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee. - Ezekiel 25:17