COMFORT, Texas – On the hilltop of Hermann Sons Life Camp, it’s hard to tell what happened two weeks ago. But, in less than a five-minute drive, the devastation from the deadly Hill County Floods is overwhelming.
“Camp is a very close-knit, very tight community,” Herman Sons Life Camp - Hilltop Director Ian Brassett said. “For me, it’s really hard to run camp knowing that that happened.”
There are nearly 20 camps along the Guadalupe River, from its beginning near Hunt to Comfort. Hermann Sons did not experience damage from the July 4 floods, but Brassett said the entire Hill County camp community is feeling heartache after what happened.
When the floods hit, Brassett’s camp was empty. He said it was one of the few days he had off.
“We run camp throughout the summer,” Brassett said. “We are high (on the hilltop). We’re not close to the river, but it’s scary to think about it.”
Brassett said Hermann Sons Life Camp is only operating out of its Hilltop location this year, so flooding isn’t as big of a concern.
“Every camp is different, and every camp has its own emergency procedures,” he said. “Will it make us reevaluate? Sure.”
Out of extreme caution, Hermann Sons cancelled the camp scheduled for last week.
“It’s got to be tough for parents to send their kids to camp. We understand that,” Brassett said. “We needed to give the emergency services in the area time to clean up.”
Hermann Sons is about 30 miles down the Guadalupe River from Hunt. That’s close to where places like Camp Mystic were hardest hit.
Brassett said he didn’t personally know Dick Eastland or Jane Ragsdale. They were two camp directors who passed in the flood.
However, Brassett said the culture of interconnectedness between camps in the Hill Country makes this tragedy hard for the entire community.
“It’s devastating, I just feel for them and their families,” he said. “The camp community is always and has always been a very close-knit, tight community.”
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