MENTONE, Ala. (WHNT) — Historic flash-flooding on July Fourth in the Hill Country of Texas claimed the lives of at least 87 people, according to Kerr County, Texas officials.
Tragically, that includes 27 campers and counselors, plus their Camp Director at Camp Mystic, an overnight Christian summer camp for girls.
Larry Johnson, the Owner and Camp Director of Camp Skyline in Mentone, told News 19 that the situation feels “just unimaginable, it makes you numb.”
“Something like this, I pray we never see it again in our lifetime,” Johnson said.
Camp Skyline, similar to Camp Mystic, is an all-girls, overnight summer camp. It’s in session right now, and Johnson says some parents have, understandably, been on edge.
He said one parent emailed in saying, “I know my daughter’s having a great time… it’s her first time at camp, can somebody just please go put eyes on her and let me know that she’s okay?”
Johnson told News 19 that Camp Skyline sent out an email to parents assuring them that the camp has safety plans in place for all weather hazards.
“There is a plan in place, we practice it, we drill it in during orientation with all of the counselors and they go over it with the campers on the first day of camp,” Johnson said.
He said the plan covers floods, tornadoes, high winds, thunderstorms, and much more. Johnson said while a flood is unlikely, due to Camp Skyline’s topography, it is prepared for anything.
“It’s just one of those things like an insurance policy where you put a lot of time and effort into it and hope you never ever have to use it,” he said.
Johnson told News 19 that it has been hard putting on a brave face for campers when some have a connection to the victims.
“A lot of our girls know some of the girls in Texas and knew the young girl from Mountain Brook,” he said.
Earlier this week, officials confirmed 8-year-old Sarah Marsh from Mountain Brook was one of the children who died at Camp Mystic.
Johnson told News 19 that the Camp Director community is very well-connected, and many travel to visit and learn from camps around the country. He said he’s visited Camp Mystic before, as well as another camp that’s just 2 miles down the road, where another Camp Director passed away in the flood.
Jane Ragsdale was the Camp Director at Heart O’ the Hills. He said Ragsdale was “a good friend” and had visited Skyline last year. “She was actually here, at our camp, and I was hanging out with her, and talking to her.”
Johnson told News 19 that the camp provides a “bubble” for the campers. They are removed from cell phones and social media so that they can connect with one another.
Due to the sensitive nature of what happened in Texas, his campers have not been made aware of the tragedy.
“When they find out that information, they need to be with their parents, somebody that they can grieve with,” he said.
Johnson said he anticipates there will be some emotional reunions between campers and their parents when the camp session comes to a close at the end of this week.
He said parents “may have to explain why they’re hugging their daughter so hard, because their daughters don’t know what happened.”
Again, he tells News 19 that now more than ever, it is taking safety precautions seriously.
Johnson said he is keeping all the families in his thoughts, as well as the families of other flooding sites in Texas.
According to Nexstar Nation affiliate, KXAN, Camp Mystic had just undergone a safety inspection two days before the flood.
According to KXAN, “Inspectors checked if the camp had a qualified director, the right ratio of supervisors to campers, qualified oversight for hazardous activities and written personnel policies and practices.”
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