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CNN
11-07-2025
- General
- CNN
Camp Mystic's owner warned of floods for decades. Then the river killed him
Dick Eastland warned for decades about the hidden dangers of the beautiful but volatile Guadalupe River, a peril he saw firsthand while running his family's youth camp alongside its banks. Eastland saw floods damage Camp Mystic again and again – and his pregnant wife was even airlifted to a hospital while the camp in central Texas was cut off by floodwaters. He successfully pushed for a new flood warning system after 10 children at a nearby camp were swept to their deaths in 1987, and in recent years served on the board of the local river authority as it supported renewed efforts to improve warnings on the Guadalupe. 'The river is beautiful,' Eastland told the Austin American-Statesman in 1990. 'But you have to respect it.' But after 27 people were killed at Camp Mystic in last week's cataclysmic flooding – along with Eastland himself, who died while trying to rescue his young campers – the scale of the tragedy highlights potential missed opportunities by Camp Mystic's owners and government officials to better mitigate those risks. About a decade after it was installed, the warning system Eastland had championed in the late '80s became antiquated and broken. The river authority ultimately shut it down in 1999, saying it was 'unreliable with some of the system's stations not reporting information,' according to an article in the Kerrville Daily Times. Yet periodic attempts to adopt a more modern flood-monitoring system, including one with warning sirens that might have alerted campers last week, repeatedly failed to gain traction – stalled by low budgets, some local opposition and a lack of state support. At Camp Mystic, meanwhile, several of the cabins that were hit hardest in the flooding were in an area identified by the federal government as the highest-risk location for inundations from the Guadalupe. Even as the camp built new cabins in a less-risky flood zone elsewhere on its property, nothing was done to relocate the buildings in the most danger. 'Camp officials might have not been aware of flood risk when they first built the cabins,' before the county even had flood maps, said Anna Serra-Llobet, a University of California-Berkeley researcher who studies flood risk. But after the recent construction, she said, officials should have realized they were in an area of 'severe hazard.' Eastland has been praised as a hero for his efforts to save campers on Friday and remembered as a beloved figure by generations who spent their summers in the idyllic riverside refuge. His legacy is less clear as a public steward of the sometimes deadly river that ultimately took his life. 'If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way—saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,' his grandson George Eastland wrote in an Instagram tribute. 'Although he no longer walks this earth, his impact will never fade in the lives he touched.' Camp Mystic did not respond to a request for comment. Camp Mystic has a long history with flooding, going back to just a few years after it was established 99 years ago. In 1932, flood waters 'swept away' several cabins at the camp and led campers to evacuate across the river by canoe, according to an article in the Abilene Daily Reporter. A counselor told the Austin American-Statesman at the time that campers might 'have drowned if we had gone out the front door and walked face-into a sheet of water!' In 1978, an article in the Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that Camp Mystic was 'the most severely damaged' of local summer camps affected by a flood that year. A separate article reported that five Camp Mystic counselors 'had their automobiles swept into the Guadalupe River' by flood waters that year. And in 1985, Eastland's wife Tweety, then pregnant with their fourth child, had to be airlifted from Camp Mystic to a hospital due to floodwaters, local news reported. One of the region's most devastating floods – until last week's Fourth of July disaster – came in 1987, when 10 children attending a different camp in the area were killed by floodwaters during a rushed evacuation. Eastland, who at the time was serving on the board of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which manages the river, pushed for a new flood warning system. In newspaper articles, he described a computer-powered system that would lead to automatic alerts if water levels on the Guadalupe rose beyond a set limit. The proposal was delayed, but officials eventually created a system of 21 gauges up and down the Guadalupe and its tributaries. Even as Eastland voiced pride in the new system, he was quick to remind the public of the Guadalupe's deadly power. 'I'm sure there will be other drownings,' Eastland said in a 1990 interview with the Austin American-Statesman. 'People don't heed the warnings.' In the following years, the early flood warning system that Eastland advocated for – and was once considered state-of-the-art – started to suffer problems. In April 1998, the company that maintained the system 'closed its doors without notice,' and the gauge system soon stopped functioning because of lack of maintenance, the Kerrville Daily Times reported. In February 1999, the river authority shut the system down because it had become 'unreliable with some of the system's stations not reporting information,' and board members worried about 'liability concerns that the system would send 'false signals,'' according to an article in the Times. A handful of river gauges remain in service on the Guadalupe today, but the county lacks a full-scale warning system to broadcast public alerts when floodwaters rise. Kerr County officials, along with the river authority that Eastland periodically served on, worked to change that over the last decade, searching for funding for a flood warning system that included more river gauges and a network of sirens. But they found themselves struggling to overcome funding deficits and opposition from some skeptical residents. Grant applications for the system were denied by the state in 2016 and 2017, and the authority later decided not to pursue a separate grant after realizing that it would only cover five percent of the system's cost. Around the same time, Camp Mystic was embarking on an expansion project. As the number of girls attending the camp grew over the years – leading to waitlists to get in each summer – the camp built more than a dozen new cabins farther south of the Guadalupe River alongside the smaller Cypress Creek. Some of those cabins were located in an area that the federal government has determined has a 1% chance of flooding each year, which would have required officials to get special approval from the county government to build there. But the risk was even higher at some of Camp Mystic's cabins closest to the Guadalupe, several of which are located inside the river's 'regulatory floodways' – the areas that flood first and are most dangerous – according to federal flood maps. Those cabins have been around for decades, historical aerial photos show, apparently before the Federal Emergency Management Agency's first floodzone maps were developed. Dealing with preexisting structures like these inside risky floodzones is especially challenging, said Serra-Llobet, the UC Berkeley flood expert. 'When they did the construction of the recent buildings, they should have seen the FEMA maps,' Serra-Llobet said. That, she said, was a 'window of opportunity' where camp officials could have realized their decades-old dorms were in a high-hazard zone and acted to address it. Camp Mystic could have relocated the buildings to higher ground, or just turned them into structures for recreational activities and made sure that campers were sleeping in safer areas, she said. Still, Serra-Llobet argued that Kerr County should move past the 'blame game' that comes after any disaster and focus on the lessons that could be learned for protecting people from floods going forward. It's not clear whether Eastland personally grappled with the high-risk flood zone running through his own campground. But in recent years, he was part of continued efforts for an improved flood warning system for the region. Eastland returned to the river authority's board in 2022 after being appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. After the previous setbacks, the board this year moved forward with a proposal to create a new 'centralized dashboard' of rainfall, river depth and other data sources 'to support local flood monitoring and emergency response,' according to the county government. In April, the river authority voted to hire a firm to develop the data system and had planned to begin work this month. That was postponed after last week's disastrous flooding. After Eastland was found dead, tributes have rolled in from his colleagues, community members and former campers whose lives he touched over the decades at Camp Mystic. 'Although I am devastated, I can't say I'm surprised that you sacrificed your life with the hopes of someone else's being saved,' Eastland's grandson wrote in his Instagram post. April Ancira spent summers from the age of 8 to 14 at Camp Mystic. In an interview, she remembered Eastland helping her catch a big fish – and being just as thrilled as she was when she successfully reeled it in. 'My memories of him wrapping his arms around so many campers and being so excited to see them excel is incredible,' she said. Austin Dickson, who served on the river authority board along with Eastland and sat next to him at board meetings, remembered him as a 'pillar in our county and our community' who had championed a recent effort to create a new park along the river. 'So many people say, 'Mystic is my heaven,' or 'Mystic is a dreamland,' and I think that's true,' he said. 'That's Dick and Tweety's life's work to make that true.' CNN's Allison Gordon and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed reporting.
Time Magazine
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Time Magazine
What We Know About the Victims of the Texas Flooding
At least 88 people have died and dozens of others are missing following devastating central Texas floods that tore through local communities along the Guadalupe River early Friday. Fast-moving waters rose some 26 feet in under an hour overnight, sweeping through buildings and knocking over trees across an area known as 'flash flood alley.' Seventy-five bodies have been recovered, including 48 adults and 27 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during a press conference Monday. Many of the victims were staying at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp located along the banks of the Guadalupe River. There were 10 campers and one counselor still unaccounted for at the time of the press conference Monday morning, Leitha said. Local search and rescue efforts for the missing and wounded remain active. More than a hundred individuals have already been rescued by first responders including the U.S. Coast Guard. The risk level for the area remains elevated. The National Weather Service, which has faced questions over whether it did all it could to adequately warn about the potential weather incident, has central Texas under a moderate risk of flash flooding, which could affect recovery efforts. The area is under a flood watch until 7 p.m. local time Monday. 'The situation on the ground remains dangerous,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday. She encouraged "everyone in the area to remain vigilant, listen to all warnings and respond accordingly." President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for Texas over the weekend, offering assistance to Kerr County individuals and local governments. 'Texas will stop at nothing to ensure every missing person is fully accounted for,' wrote Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday. Here are the names of some of the victims. Camp Mystic At least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic died as the overflowing river flooded cabins and swept away cars, girls' belongings, and people. 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,' the camp wrote in a message on its website. 'We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.' The camp's director, Richard 'Dick' Eastland, died while trying to save young campers, according to a column in the Kerrville Daily Times written by Paige Sumner, a local resident and friend to Eastland. Sumner described him as a 'father figure,' and highlighted the way he put campers first. 'If an issue of any kind that needed attention came over the walkie-talkie, even a camper with a minor injury or the dreaded snake in the river, he would bolt out of the office and jump in a golf cart to get there as fast as he could,' Sumner wrote. The exact number of young Camp Mystic campers who died has not yet been confirmed. But some family members, officials, and others have come forward to confirm losses. Among those are Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor who had recently graduated from Kinkaid School in Houston. Childress 'lived a beautiful life that saturated those around her with contagious joy, unending grace, and abiding faith,' her family said in a statement. 'Returning as a counselor to the place she loved so dearly, Chloe was looking forward to dedicating her summer days to loving and mentoring young girls at Camp Mystic.' The names of multiple other young victims have also been reported. Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch confirmed the passing of eight-year-old Sarah Marsh, a student at Cherokee Bend Elementary School, calling her death an 'unimaginable loss' in a social media post. 'Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew her and loved her.' Two Bradfield Elementary best friends, Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck, are also among the victims. "Eloise was literally friends with everyone,' her mother told Fox 4. 'Eloise had a family who loved her fiercely for the 8 years she was with us.' The two girls had just finished the second grade. Nine-year-old Janie Hunt also passed. She attended camp with six cousins, all of whom are safe, according to her grandmother. Camp Mystic, according to the Texas Tribune, has hosted the daughters of former governors, a president, and other politicians through summers. Rep. August Pfluger of Texas revealed his daughters were staying at the camp and had been evacuated and reunited with their family following the deadly flooding. 'The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors,' said Pfluger. 'Please join us today as we pray for miracles.' The camp did not immediately respond to TIME's request for more information. Jane Ragsdale Jane Ragsdale, director of the Heart O'Hills camp a mile north of Camp Mystic, also died in the flooding. Ragsdale's death was confirmed by the camp's social media account. 'Jane wasn't just our director, she was our guiding light, our example, and our safe place. She had the rare gift of making every person feel seen, loved, and important. Her kindness, strength, and wisdom shaped generations of campers and staff,' the post read. The camp's first term this summer ended on June 28th, saving campers from being harmed due to the flooding. Blair and Brooke Harber The Harber family was spending the Fourth of July holiday at a cabin near Hunt, Texas, when the flood risk began, per the Wall Street Journal. Thirteen-year-old Blair and 11-year-old Brooke Harber, sisters, were killed in the disaster. Their grandparents, Mike and Charlene Harber, remain missing. The Harbers have owned a cabin in Casa Bonita for the last five years, and often visited with their family to enjoy outdoor activities. 'All those great memories are now a bad memory,' RJ Harber, the girls' father, told the Journal. Tanya Burwick Tanya Burwick, 62, was found dead on Saturday after being reported missing amid the flooding, according to the San Angelo Police Department. Burwick was last seen driving in an area affected by the floods. Her vehicle, blocks away from where her body was discovered, was found submerged under floodwater. 'She lit up the room and had a laugh that made other people laugh,' Lindsey Burwick, her daughter, told the Associated Press. Jeff Wilson Kingwood Park High School teacher Jeff Wilson, who worked for the Humble Independent School District for three decades, also died in the floods, the district confirmed. Wilson's wife, Amber, and his son, Shiloh, were still missing at the time of the Saturday post. Jeff Wilson 'was a beloved teacher and co-worker to many and will be deeply missed,' the district said. A prayer vigil was held on Sunday night in remembrance of Wilson and to pray for his family. Reece and Paula Zunker Tivy High School teacher Reece Zunker, and his wife, Paula, lost their lives due to the flooding, the school confirmed in a Facebook post Sunday. Reece worked at the school district as a soccer coach and educator. 'His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten,' the school wrote. Paula was also a former Tivy teacher. 'The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later,' the school said. The couple's children, Lyle and Holland, remained missing at the time of the post. Julian Ryan Julian Ryan's family said the 27-year-old died a 'hero' when he punched through a window to get his family to safety as their house flooded. Ryan severed an artery in his arm in the process, his fiancée Christinia Wilson told KHOU 11, and made calls for emergency assistance, though they did not arrive in time. "By 6 (a.m.), he looked at me and the kids and my mother-in-law and said, 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all,'" Wilson said. Ryan was described as a 'devoted parent' known for his 'infectious laugh and unwavering kindness'in a GoFundMe post made on behalf of his family. Bobby and Amanda Martin Bobby and Amanda Martin, a middle-aged couple, were camping at the Guadalupe River when the flooding began, per the New York Times. Their RV was swept away by the rising water. 'He was an adventurous man, adventurous and outgoing. He had many good friends, because he was a good friend,' Bobby's father, John Keith Martin, told the Times. 'He's just incredible.' Two other family members—John Keith's grandchild and their girlfriend—remain missing. Katheryn Eads Fifty-two year-old Katheryn Eads was awoken by elevating floodwaters, prompting her and her husband, Brian Eads, to leave their RV, Brian told the Times. A nearby individual offered to give the couple a ride out of the area, but the pair were separated when that vehicle died and they were swept away by floodwater. Brian said he survived by holding on to a tree. Brian Bennett contributed reporting.
Chicago Tribune
07-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Chicago mourns with Texas and the parents of the Camp Mystic girls
While many of us were enjoying July 4 festivities this past weekend, Texas Hill Country was plunged into disaster. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes on July 4, with flash flooding killing at least 80 people statewide. As of a grim Monday morning tally, 41 people still were missing. What makes the story especially heartbreaking is that the flooding swept away young girls staying at Camp Mystic, a private Christian camp 85 miles outside of San Antonio. 'This came at night when people were asleep in bed,' Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said Friday. Herring presides over the county seat of Kerr County, which was hit the hardest by the floods. Officials said the flooding and subsequent damage were unprecedented. There is something special about the summer rite of young kids leaving their families and heading to a bucolic rural setting, often making friends for life. Midwestern parents are very familiar with the ritual, which includes the nagging worry of leaving their kid in someone else's hands. Be it Camp Nebagamon or Camp Timber-lee, Lake of the Woods, Camp Agawak or the YMCA's Camp Copneconic and Phantom Lake, many of these camps in Wisconsin and Michigan have been around for decades and traffic in memory and tradition. Parents often send their kids where they went themselves. Where they had the time of their lives. Where they grew up. Many of those parents with kids at a summer camp right now felt a knot in their stomach when the news about those lost young girls broke this weekend, and that knot has yet to resolve itself. It likely won't, until the kids come back home. You learn a lot about yourself in a crisis. The same is true of our country. Who are we in this moment of relatable tragedy? We have a choice. In the immediate aftermath of what has happened, we can choose to politicize these events or we can choose to mourn the dead and honor the heroes who stopped death tolls from going even higher, even if it cost them their lives. Which in some cases, it did. The time for analysis and accountability will come. For now, we choose to grieve with the families. Dick Eastland, co-owner of Camp Mystic and the camp's director, died trying to save his young guests from the floodwaters. He reportedly was carried off by the floodwaters. 'It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,' former camper and friend Paige Sumner wrote in the Kerrville Daily Times. 'He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic.' The flooding wasn't confined to the camp that is at the center of most of the news. Torrents of water swept through towns across the region, damaging hundreds of homes, washing away vehicles, and severing power and communication lines. Flash flood warnings covered large parts of Central Texas, and the National Weather Service recorded rainfall rates of more than 3 inches per hour. Because the flood hit overnight, many families did not sense the danger until there was no time to escape. Julian Ryan, 27, seriously injured himself saving his family during the disaster after his home began flooding – with his fiancée, children and mother inside. His family shared Ryan's final words: 'I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all.' It's hard to read his story without shedding a tear. His fiancée and son have lost not only a husband and father, but also a selfless protector. Many could not be saved. Among them were sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, ages 13 and 11, respectively, who were staying with their grandparents in a cabin that was swept away in the flood. They were found with their hands locked together. Their grandparents are still missing. The girls' parents were staying in a cabin nearby, The New York Times reported. Many of the youngest campers staying at Camp Mystic will never go home, including 8-year-old Sarah Marsh from Alabama. Her grandmother posted a tribute to her on Facebook, writing, 'We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!' We can imagine the many spunky young spirits camping at the river this past weekend; that's why the grief coursing through Texas is so intense. Many families still are waiting in the flood zone in the hopes that their loved ones will be retrieved, and, on Monday, first responders still were wading through mud and debris in an effort to find survivors. Entire communities have turned schools into shelters, church halls into donation centers and grief into action. But many families have already seen hope extinguished. And those who lost young daughters are living every parent's worst nightmare. We're all asking questions. What could have been done differently? Could the authorities — and which authorities? — have prevented this? Was the forecasting accurate? Were enough people on duty? Are basic safety systems adequate for riverside cabins in this most dangerous of river basins? For now, we're just so deeply sad that a girls' summer camp, of all places, was lost to the very river that had given generations of campers such joy.
Sky News
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Sky News
Texas flash flooding: 21 children among at least 70 killed; children at summer camp still missing
Watch: Woman rescued from tree in Texas floods A woman has been rescued from a tree after the flash floods carried her more than 20 miles down the river. She was spotted by a local resident who raised the alarm. At least 70 people now dead The death toll from flash floods that raged through Central Texas is now at least 70 after searchers found more bodies. The latest death has been reported in Williamson County. Camp Mystic director dies 'saving girls he so loved and cared for' The director of Camp Mystic, Dick Eastland, is confirmed to have died in the flash flooding. Local outlet The Kerrville Daily Times reported he was killed while trying to save the girls from the flash floods. Dick had run the camp alongside his wife Tweety since 1974, and his death was confirmed by his grandson, George. Writing on Instagram, George says: "If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for. That's the man my grandfather was. "A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched." Tributes have poured in from Camp Mystic alumnae. "One of the greatest men ever," one wrote. "He truly was the best," said another. Trump signs 'major disaster declaration' for Kerr County An update is now coming from Travis County, where four people have been killed in the flooding. Some areas received over a foot of rainfall in a matter of hours. In some cases, water rose faster than 911 responders could reach people, Travis County officials say. At the same time, President Donald Trump confirms he has signed a "major disaster declaration" for nearby Kerr County. Number dead in flash floods is 69 Officials have released the latest death toll, speaking to the media at a press conference. At least 59 people have died in Kerr County - 38 are adults, and 21 are children. At Camp Mystic, 11 children and one camp counsellor are still missing, Sheriff Larry Leitha says. "We extend our sincerest condolences and prayers to every single family affected by this tragedy, and we continue to work around the clock to reunite these families," he adds. A further ten have been confirmed dead in other Texas counties, taking the total to 69. Woman found dead 'several blocks' from her flooded car A woman has been found dead "several blocks" from her flooded car, a local police force has confirmed. The latest death was reported in San Angelo, a city in West Texas some 150 miles away from Kerrville. Tanya Burwick, 62, was last seen driving in an area with rising floodwaters. Her vehicle was later found, submerged beneath the water. "Upon confirming that the vehicle was unoccupied, our team immediately expanded the search into the surrounding area," San Angelo police said in a statement. Ms Burwick's body was later found several blocks away. "Our hearts are heavy as we extend our deepest condolences to Ms. Burwick's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," the force said. "The San Angelo Police Department stands with the entire community in mourning this tragic loss." Twenty-eight adults and 15 children have died in Kerr County, four people are confirmed dead in Travis County and one person is dead in Kendall County, officials said. Pope Leo sends prays to Texas families Pope Leo has expressed "sincere condolences" to those who have lost loved ones in the flooding. British staff working at Camp Mystic 'safe and accounted for' British staff working at Camp Mystic are all safe and accounted for, following the devastating floods that ripped through the campsite in the early hours of 4 July. Rescue crews continue to search for 27 missing children who were at the camp near the Guadalupe River. Mystic was seeking to recruit 12 international staff via Camp America, but it is not yet known how many Brits took up the roles. But those who were there are safe, the organisation has confirmed. In a statement, Camp America confirmed to Sky News it did have participants affected by the flash floods. "Camp America participants that were at the camp have all been accounted for and are safe in area hotels," it said. "Camp America emergency support arrived in Kerrville on Friday night, with further staff arriving today, meeting with our participants throughout the weekend to provide support and assistance. "The whole camping world is saddened by the tragic loss of life that has occurred, and our thoughts are with those families who have been affected." Watch: Texas searches for missing children Rescue teams in Texas are searching for 27 girls missing from Camp Mystic, with crews scouring a wide area by helicopter. Searches have been hampered by the floods moving debris, and those caught up in it, over large distances. Good afternoon We are returning to our live coverage of the flash flooding in Texas, which has led to the deaths of at least 51 people. A desperate rescue mission is continuing to find the 27 children who went missing from a girls' church camp along the Guadalupe River, which was overwhelmed by heavy rain on Friday morning. Authorities have not said how many other people are missing. Rescuers in Texas, where it is now approaching 8am, are scouring a devastated landscape of mangled trees and overturned cars left in the wake of destructive, fast-moving water. We'll be bringing you all the latest throughout the day.
New York Post
05-07-2025
- General
- 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.
