HUNT, Texas – State officials verified that Camp Mystic had an emergency plan in place before the July 4 floods, according to records obtained Tuesday by KSAT Investigates.
Department of State Health and Human Services records show it inspected the camp along the Guadalupe River on July 2, two days before heavy rain flooded the Hill Country, killing more than 90 people.
The number of deaths is expected to continue to rise in the coming days, as searchers comb long stretches of the Guadalupe River.
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Records show there were 64 staff members and 386 campers at the Guadalupe portion of the campgrounds during that inspection.
Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, which runs independently of the Guadalupe River, had a combined 215 staffers and campers when inspectors visited the properties July 2.
On Monday, Camp Mystic confirmed 27 campers and counselors died in the floods. As of Tuesday morning, Kerr County officials said five campers and one counselor remained unaccounted for.
Inspection records show DSHS, the state agency in charge of monitoring emergency preparedness, checked the camp for several items, including making sure staff had been background checked, ensuring sleeping areas were safe, and water safety standards were being met.
Inspection records show Camp Mystic had a written plan “in case of disaster, serious accident epidemic, or fatality formulated.” All camp staff and volunteers learned about the plan during staff training and volunteer briefings and documentation related to the plan was posted in an on-site office, according to the records.
DSHS spokesperson Lara Anton told KSAT the agency does not maintain copies of each camp’s emergency plan, but said they are evaluated onsite to make sure it complies with the Texas Administrative Code.
“The plans should include disaster, serious accident, epidemic, or fatality,” Anton said in an email. “Disaster would include flooding, tornado, etc.”
The state requires emergency plans to include procedures for emergency shelter and for evacuation of each occupied building and facility.
The 76 pages of records noted several violations by the camp the past few years, but none related to emergency preparedness.
The camp was not inspected in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, DSHS officials noted several violations, including a riflery instructor without proper documented experience.
The camp was required to submit a corrective action plan within 10 days, DSHS records show.
In 2022 the camp had no documented violations and was found to be fully compliant.
In 2023, DSHS officials again noted several violations, and again cited the camp for having a riflery instructor without proper documented experience.
A month after the inspection, a DSHS compliance officer sent a follow up email to camp director Edward Eastland asking for additional details on the riflery range lacking a certified instructor.
The camp was found to be fully compliant last year and earlier this month, records show.
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