Officials from Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors died in a flood last summer, announced Thursday that the embattled camp has withdrawn its pending application for a state license and will not reopen as planned next month.
“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” said the statement, which was sent to parents of 825 girls who had registered to attend the Christian camp in Central Texas starting May 30.
The statement released by members of the Eastland family, who own and operate the camp, said they chose to withdraw the application “rather than risk defending our rights under Texas law in a manner that may unintentionally effect further harm.”
“This decision is intended to remove any doubt that Camp Mystic has heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate investigating committees and citizens across our state,” the statement said.
“Respect for those voices requires that we step back now. Camp Mystic will continue to fully cooperate with all ongoing investigations, comply with every lawful requirement and continue supporting recovery and healing efforts,” the statement said. “Today is not about camp operations. It is about respect for the families, accountability to the public and reverence for the memory of the lives lost.”
Lara Anton, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, which licenses camps, confirmed that Camp Mystic’s application has been withdrawn. The agency continues to investigate hundreds of complaints filed against the camp.
Many parents of campers and counselors who died at Camp Mystic during the flood vehemently opposed the Eastlands’ plan to reopen, particularly because one camper — 8-year-old Cile Steward — has not been found.
“We are grateful that no child will be placed in the Eastlands’ care this summer,” CC and Will Steward said Thursday in a statement.
“But let there be no confusion about what happened today. Camp Mystic did not withdraw its application out of grace,” the Stewards said. “It withdrew because the State of Texas was prepared to deny it. It withdrew after DSHS cited nearly two dozen deficiencies in its licensing application. … What the Eastlands offered today was not accountability. … It was a calculated exit from a license they were about to lose.”
The parents of one of the two counselors who died also spoke out.
“We never imagined a world without our daughters, and no decision made now can change that,” said Matthew Childress of Houston, whose 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, died during the flood. “As Camp Mystic steps back, we step forward — with an unshakable commitment to remembrance, to accountability, and to ensuring our daughters’ lives leave a lasting impact that protects others. This is the first step of many, including our continued, unwavering search to find Cile.”
State officials said at a hearing this week that they continue to search the Guadalupe River for Cile.
Ryan and Elizabeth DeWitt of Houston, whose 9-year-old daughter Molly died in the flood, said Thursday in a statement: “Our daughter deserved summers filled with joy, friendship, and safety. As parents, we are left asking hard questions that cannot be withdrawn or postponed.”
“We will continue to seek answers,” the DeWitts said, “because honoring our daughter means demanding better for every child.”
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released a statement saying, “Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones and those recovering from last year’s devastating Fourth of July floods.” He noted that Camp Mystic will remain closed this year while the state regulatory agency “continues working with the Texas Rangers to investigate Camp Mystic. The results of that investigation will be made public as soon as possible.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said he was “thankful” camp officials had withdrawn their license application. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed,” Patrick wrote on X.
“The families’ pursuit of justice will continue through the courts to complete the investigation in their pursuit for transparency, accountability and ensuring that another avoidable tragedy like this never happens again,” said Kyle Findley, an attorney for a half-dozen families suing the camp.
At a two-day hearing in Austin earlier this week, lawmakers expressed dismay at testimony of investigators who revealed numerous problems with the camp’s preparation for emergencies and its failure to respond quickly as floodwaters rose. They noted, as well, that Mary Liz Eastland, the camp’s chief health officer, had yet to report the deaths as required by law, even after she was alerted to the failure at a court hearing earlier this month in connection with the Stewards’ lawsuit against the camp. Many of the families have sued the camp.
Eastland’s husband, Edward Eastland — who tried to save campers alongside his father, Dick Eastland, 70, who died in the flood — apologized to the families during the hearing. But under questioning by lawmakers, Mary Liz Eastland and Edward Eastland’s brothers Britt and Richard Eastland, who run the camp with him, appeared divided about whether to reopen.
Richard Eastland said that if their license renewal was denied, they planned to appeal, a process that would have allowed them to open as planned this summer. They had already registered 825 campers for six 10-day sessions and stood to earn $3 million to $4 million in gross revenue.
“It will be a family decision,” Britt Eastland said.
The camp’s announcement was a blow to many Hill Country residents.
“Camps are a big part of this community, part of our identity,” said Randy Rose, 50, who grew up in the area. He knew Dick Eastland, as well as the family of a local camper who died, and had registered his 12-year-old daughter to attend Camp Mystic for the first time this summer.
“We can’t be ruled by fear,” he said, citing new camp safety state legislation passed in the wake of the floods. “As the person dealing with trauma, working through therapy, sometimes the best medicine is to get back.”
Of 825 girls enrolled to attend Camp Mystic this summer, only about 50 were new. The rest were returning campers, a Camp Mystic spokesman said.
Liberty Lindley planned to send her 10-year-old daughter, Evie, back to camp even though she survived the flood floating on a mattress for hours in her cabin.
Lindley, 42, of Kerrville, said there are many campers’ parents who support the Eastlands and Camp Mystic. She noted that none of the witnesses at this week’s legislative hearing were supporters of the camp. “They didn’t invite any of us to speak,” she said. “And I thought that was lopsided.”
She said the Eastlands had decided to reopen in part because campers told their parents they wanted to return; that it would help them heal.
“Emotionally, that’s part of the work: facing the water again, the fears,” Lindley said. “It’s so important for them to take their power back.”
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