(Bloomberg) — Camp Mystic has scrapped plans to reopen this summer after days of dramatic hearings over its response to last year’s deadly floods in Texas that killed 25 campers and two counselors.
The camp withdrew its license renewal application for this summer, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement. The agency said last week that Camp Mystic’s emergency plan failed to address several new summer camp rules enacted after last year’s July 4 flooding that killed more than 160 people, including 37 children.
Mystic was a rite of passage for Texas girls: Laura Bush worked there as an adviser years before she became first lady, and Lyndon Johnson sent his daughters there. Nestled in a rural section of central Texas known as the Hill Country, the camp offered a respite from technology and city life. However, poor cell phone reception and limited infrastructure have complicated the response to last summer’s flash floods.
State lawmakers grilled local officials and camp owners over their response to the disaster. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for the camp to remain closed after recent hearings.
“It is clear that Camp Mystic was completely unprepared, understaffed, complacent, incompetent and lacking an evacuation plan,” Patrick wrote on X.
Gov. Greg Abbott said a state investigation into the camp is still ongoing, adding that the results will be released as soon as possible.
Several of Camp Mystic’s cabins were located in floodways, areas so risky that the local county government restricted new construction in them in 2020. State investigators found the camp was slow to respond to flood warnings and lacked proper emergency training for counselors.
Still, families have such strong ties to the camp that nearly 900 girls signed up this summer, the owners told state lawmakers.
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