Where is Camp Mystic, the Christian girls camp hit by flooding in Texas?
More than 750 girls were at the camp, which is located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, where rain of up to 12 inches an hour fell, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a press conference Friday afternoon. Flash flooding occurred as river waters rose 29 feet rapidly near the camp, officials said. At the time, about 20 girls were missing, Patrick said.
Parents and relatives have been posting on social media as they have learned about the deaths of young family members who had been attending the camp. At least three girls have died, based on reports from family members.
Live updates: Texas flooding death toll rises to 27; children among the dead
What is Camp Mystic?
Camp Mystic for Girls was founded in 1926 by Edward "Doc" Stewart, who was the football and men's basketball coach at the University of Texas, according to an Internet Archive's capture of the camp's website (much of the site was overwhelmed with traffic on Saturday).
The camp has been in operation since then. However, during World War II it served as a "rehabilitation and recovery camp for army air corps veterans," according to the site.
"Campers and counselors join together to sing songs, listen to scripture, discover ways to grow spiritually, and learn to apply these lessons to their daily life at camp and back home," according to the site. Religious activities include: Bible studies, Saturday evening Catholic Mass, Sunday morning devotionals along the river, Sunday evening Vespers services, and, once during each two-week or four-week term, a sunrise communion service.
Other activities include cooking, dance, basketball, horseback riding, lacrosse, swimming, soccer and yoga.
Where is Camp Mystic in Texas?
Camp Mystic for Girls, is in Texas, about six miles south of Hunt, Texas, in Kerr County. That's within Texas Hill Country, about 80 miles northwest of San Antonio.
The original camp and a second camp, opened in 2020 near Cypress Lake, is bisected by Cypress Creek.
YouTube videos show the camp facilities nestled within the tree-filled landscape at the two camps, one along the Guadalupe River and the newer camp near Cypress Lake.
Contributing: Reuters
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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New York Post
5 hours ago
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Wild video shows entire house with cat inside floating away in Texas flooding, smashing into bridge
The flash flooding in Texas that killed at least 43 people in one county alone was so fierce, it sent an entire house barreling down the Guadalupe River and crashing into a bridge, wild video shows. The home — apparently with a cat trapped inside — careened into a metal railing on Center Point Bridge by ferocious currents known as a flood wave. 'Oh, there's a cat in there,' Gavin Walston, who recorded the video, said as the beige house slams into the bridge around 7:40 a.m. Friday with a tremendous crash, partially uprooting a tree in the process. A house was sent racing down the roaring flood waters of an inundated waterway in Texas. Gavin Walston 'Hold on, little buddy,' the witness said. Walston began shooting the 37-minute video along state highway 480, or Old San Antonio Road, just as the flood wave — which occurs when there is a rapid rise of water — came rushing downstream. The video shows the river quickly swelling and picking up speed — in a stunning display of nature's raw power. Debris, including tree branches and garbage, begins to quickly pile up beneath the bridge, as the water climbs higher, sucking trees into its depths. At one point, Walston narrowly avoids getting crushed by a tree that is felled by the deluge. 'You alright?' another spectator asked. The camera replies in the affirmative. 'That was close, huh?' he said. The bridge is located about 30 miles east of Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp that was housing 750 people when the floodwaters swept through early Friday morning. At least five campers there died and 22 are missing. More than 40 people in Kerr County alone are dead.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Body recovered of Texas camp director who died heroically trying to save kids:' Dick was the father figure to all of us'
Camp Mystic co-owner Richard 'Dick' Eastland has been confirmed dead, attempting to heroically rescue some of his campers before they were swept away in the deadly Texas floodwaters. Eastland, who had been involved with the private all-girls Christian camp since purchasing it in 1974 and served as its director, died trying to save his kids from the devastating flash flooding that ripped through the region on Friday, according to Texas Public Radio. Eastland's nephew confirmed his death via Facebook. Dick Eastland died trying to save some of the girls at his camp. Camp Mystic Eastland and his wife, Tweety, owned the camp. They were the third owners since the camp was first erected in 1926. Tweety was found safe at the couple's home, reports indicated. Eastland taught fishing to the younger campers, and former participants described him as a caring, grandfatherly figure. The couple were revered by campers, and often seen teaching or roaming the camp grounds. 'Dick was the father figure to all of us while we were away from home at Camp Mystic for six weeks,' wrote former camper Paige Sumner. 'He was the father of four amazing boys, but he had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad. 'I would never have taken a fishing class if it wasn't taught by my new friend Dick.' Eastland previously survived a bout with brain cancer, according to the Kerrville Daily Times. He also served on the Hunt Independent School District Board and was a former coach for the West Kerr County Little League and the West Kerr County Little Dribblers, the outlet reported. At least two dozen girls from the camp remain missing. Officials have so far recovered the bodies of 27 people, including at least four young campers who were swept away. Eastland bought the camp in 1974 with his wife, Tweety. LeslieEastland/Facebook There were some 750 campers on site when the flooding started Friday.
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Floods turned beloved Texas camp into a nightmare. At least 23 girls remain missing.
Advertisement 'I'm asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. 'On-your-knees kind of praying that we find these young girls.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Flood turns storied Camp Mystic into a horror story The camp was established in 1926. It grew so popular over the following decades that families are now encouraged to join the waitlist to put prospective campers on the waitlist years in advance in hopes of snagging one of the coveted summer sessions. The bonds formed at camp seem to last, with former campers invited back as adults to attend alumni weekends. Photos and videos taken before the flood are idyllic, showing large cabins with tidy green-shingled roofs and names like 'Wiggle Inn,' tucked among the sturdy oak and cypress trees that grow on the banks of the Guadalupe River. In some social media posts, girls are fishing, riding horses, playing kickball or performing choreographed dance routines in matching T-shirts to uplifting pop songs. Girls ranging in age from 8 to 17 years old pose for the camera with big smiles, arms draped across the shoulders of their fellow campers. Advertisement But the floodwaters left behind a starkly different landscape: A pickup truck is balanced precariously on two wheels, its side lodged halfway up a tree. A wall is torn entirely off one building, the interior empty except for a Texas flag and paintings hung high along one side. A twisted bit of metal — perhaps a bedframe — is stacked next to colorful steamer trunks and broken tree limbs. First responders are scouring the riverbanks in hopes of finding survivors. Social media posts are now focused on the faces of the missing. Rescuers evacuate some campers by helicopter By Friday afternoon, Texas Game Wardens had arrived at Camp Mystic and were evacuating campers who had sheltered on higher ground. A rope was tied so girls could hang on as they walked across a bridge, the floodwaters rushing around their knees. Elinor Lester, 13, said she was evacuated with her cabinmates by helicopter after wading through floodwaters. She recalled startling awake around 1:30 a.m. as thunder crackled and water pelted the cabin windows. Lester was among the older girls housed on elevated ground known as Senior Hill. Cabins housing the younger campers, who can start attending at age 8, are situated along the riverbanks and were the first to flood, she said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' she said. 'It was really scary.' Her mother, Elizabeth Lester, said her son was nearby at Camp La Junta and also escaped. A counselor there woke up to find water rising in the cabin, opened a window and helped the boys swim out. Camp La Junta and nearby Camp Waldemar said in Instagram posts that all campers and staff were safe. Advertisement Elizabeth Lester sobbed when she saw her daughter, who was clutching a small teddy bear and a book. 'My kids are safe, but knowing others are still missing is just eating me alive,' she said. Families of missing campers worry Dozens of families shared in local Facebook groups that they received devastating phone calls from safety officials informing them that their daughters had not yet been located among the washed-away camp cabins and downed trees. Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the roughly 750 campers that if they have not been contacted directly, their child is accounted for. On Friday afternoon, more than a hundred people gathered at an Ingram elementary school that was being used as a reunification center, watching for the faces of loved ones as buses full of evacuees arrived. One young girl wearing a Camp Mystic T-shirt stood in a puddle in her white socks, sobbing in her mother's arms. Camp Mystic sits on a strip known as 'flash flood alley,' said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a charitable endowment that is collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' Dickson said. 'It rushes down the hill.' State officials began warning of potential deadly weather a day earlier. The National Weather Service had predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the region, but 10 inches fell. The Guadalupe River rose to 26 feet within about 45 minutes in the early morning hours, submerging its flood gauge, Patrick said. Advertisement Decades prior, floodwaters engulfed a bus of teenage campers from another Christian camp along the Guadalupe River during devastating summer storms in 1987. A total of 10 campers from Pot O' Gold Christian camp drowned after their bus was unable to evacuate in time from a site near Comfort, 33 miles (53 kilometers) east of Hunt. Happy camp memories are now tinged with grief Chloe Crane, a teacher and former Camp Mystic counselor, said her heart broke when a fellow teacher shared an email from the camp about the missing girls. 'To be quite honest, I cried because Mystic is such a special place, and I just couldn't imagine the terror that I would feel as a counselor to experience that for myself and for 15 little girls that I'm taking care of,' she said. 'And it's also just sadness, like the camp has been there forever and cabins literally got washed away.' Crane said the camp is a haven for young girls looking to gain confidence and independence. She recalled happy memories teaching her campers about journalism, making crafts and competing in a camp-wide canoe race at the end of each summer. Now for many campers and counselors, their happy place has turned into a horror story, she said. Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho.
