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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
FEMA approved Camp Mystic to exempt structures from flood zone designation? Here's what we know
More than a decade before devastating floods swept through Central Texas and killed 27 people at Camp Mystic, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted the camp's request to remove several buildings from the official flood zone, according to agency records. FEMA approved an appeal from Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls, to exclude 15 of its buildings near the Guadalupe River from what's called a Special Flood Hazard Area.(Bloomberg) Back in 2013, FEMA approved an appeal from Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls, to exclude 15 of its buildings near the Guadalupe River from what is known as a Special Flood Hazard Area. That's the zone where a so-called '100-year flood' — one with a 1% chance of happening in any year — could hit, according to Washington Post report. FEMA documents show that some of those buildings were just a few feet above the level a major flood might reach. At least one was actually below it. Still, the exemption meant the camp didn't have to carry flood insurance for those structures anymore. Other parts of the camp stayed in the flood zone and remained subject to various federal, state, and local building rules for those areas. Also Read: New Texas flash flood warnings affect Guadalupe River, Camp Mystic rescue efforts. What did officials say Camp Mystic made two more successful appeals to FEMA As Camp Mystic expanded, it made two more successful appeals to FEMA in 2019 and 2020, removing another 15 buildings from the flood zone designations. The Associated Press first reported on these appeals, which offer some insight into how both Camp Mystic and FEMA evaluated flood risks over the years. The revelations are now drawing new attention after the deadly July 4 floods that left at least 129 people dead in Central Texas. According to river gauge data from Hunt, Texas, the Guadalupe River rose nearly 30 feet in under four hours that morning. At Camp Mystic, the river's waters rushed into cabins just after daybreak. Campers and counselors had to escape through waist-deep water, some of them barefoot. Sarah Pralle, a political science professor at Syracuse University who studies FEMA's flood maps, said the camp's repeated efforts to challenge FEMA's designations raise serious concerns. 'Not just disappointing; it's very disturbing,' Pralle said. 'You would think that, in that situation, they would err on the side of extreme caution given who they are supposed to be taking care of.' Camp Mystic spokesman Jeff Carr confirmed in an email that the camp had filed appeals and that FEMA approved them, adding, 'just as 90% of all such appeals are approved by FEMA.' Pralle explained that it's becoming more common for property owners to challenge FEMA's maps to avoid the cost of flood insurance or the limitations that come with building in flood-prone areas. But she also pointed out that flood-related deaths have gone up across the US 'There's just a lot of places that are not taking risks seriously,' she said. 'We're trying to shrink the [FEMA] maps and take properties out of them, and it just seems like the wrong way to be going.' Also Read: Camp Mystic: Haunting visuals reveal aftermath of deadly Texas flood that left 27 dead 'Flood maps are snapshots…' The agency said, 'Flood maps are snapshots in time designed to show minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for flood insurance.' Meanwhile, other data pointed to a bigger risk at Camp Mystic than FEMA's maps showed. A model from First Street, a private climate risk modeling company, outlined a broader flood zone along the Guadalupe River, putting even more camp buildings at risk. Jeremy Porter, who leads climate research at First Street, said their model also considers extreme rainfall, unlike FEMA's maps. 'That area actually has one of the highest flood indices across the whole country in terms of the likelihood of flooding,' Porter said. On Sunday, the area was hit with flooding again, forcing authorities to pause the search for those still missing after the July 4 disaster. Porter said that instead of challenging FEMA's flood designations, Camp Mystic's leaders would have been better off focusing their time on preparing for a flood.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas camp buildings were removed from map showing flood risks, US media reports
US regulators reportedly granted appeals to remove many Camp Mystic buildings from official flooding risk maps years before 27 children died in severe floods. Citing official records, the New York Times and Associated Press said maps by the Federal Emergency Management (Fema) in 2011 had initially considered the popular summer camp to be at high risk of flooding. But they say that Camp Mystic - located in a low-lying area by the Guadalupe River - then successfully challenged those designations. The BBC has contacted Fema and Camp Mystic, neither of which have commented publicly on the issue. Fema describes flood maps as "a tool that communities use to know which areas have the highest risk of flooding". Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who has studied the Fema flood maps, said she found it "perplexing" that the riverside camp had been granted exemptions from the maps. "I think it's extremely troubling that it's a camp for children," Prof Pralle told the New York Times. "You'd think you want to be extra cautious - that you'd go beyond the minimum of what's required for flood protection." Fema's official flood maps show that some of Camp Mystic's cabins were within a "floodway", a particularly hazardous area where dangerous floodwaters would be expected to flow, the New York Times reported. It said that other cabins were within a broader zone that would also be expected to flood once every 100 years. Those designations require the camp to have flood insurance and tighter regulations on any construction projects. The newspaper added that the Fema maps had not been modified to incorporate Camp Mystic's written appeals. The popular camp lost at least 27 young girls when floodwaters ripped through the premises before dawn on 4 July. Across Texas, at least 129 people have been killed, and scores are still missing. On Friday, President Donald Trump visited the flood-hit areas, pledging that the government would help those who lost their houses and properties to rebuild. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. Trump also dismissed a question from a reporter about what more could have been done to warn residents, saying: "Only an evil person would ask a question like that." In the wake of the deadly tragedy, questions have been raised about whether adequate warnings were provided and why camps weren't evacuated ahead of the deluge. Experts have said a number of factors led to the deadly impact of the flash flood, including the pre-dawn timing and the location of some buildings. Trump surveys damage in Texas as search continues for 160 missing What early warnings did flood-hit Texas receive? 'Hero' dad, twin girls and riverside campers among Texas flood victims
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Camp Mystic buildings were removed from flood map, US media reports
US regulators reportedly altered official maps of flooding risks to remove many of the buildings at a camp in Texas where 27 children died in severe floods. Citing official records, the New York Times and Associated Press said maps by the Federal Emergency Management (Fema) in 2011 had initially considered the popular summer camp to be in high risk of flooding. But they say that Camp Mystic - located in a low-lying area by the Guadalupe River - then successfully challenged those BBC has contacted Fema and Camp Mystic, neither of which have commented publicly on the issue. Fema describes flood maps as "a tool that communities use to know which areas have the highest risk of flooding".Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who has studied the Fema flood maps, said she found it "perplexing" that the riverside camp had been granted exemptions from the maps. "I think it's extremely troubling that it's a camp for children," Prof Pralle told the New York Times. "You'd think you want to be extra cautious - that you'd go beyond the minimum of what's required for flood protection."Fema's official flood maps show that some of Camp Mystic's cabins were within a "floodway", a particularly hazardous area where dangerous floodwaters would be expected to flow, the New York Times reported. It said that other cabins were within a broader zone that would also be expected to flood once every 100 designations require the camp to have flood insurance and tighter regulations on any construction newspaper added that the Fema maps had not been modified to incorporate Camp Mystic's written popular camp lost at least 27 young girls when floodwaters ripped through the premises before dawn on 4 Texas, at least 129 people have been killed, and scores are still Friday, President Donald Trump visited the flood-hit areas, pledging that the government would help those who lost their houses and properties to rebuild."I've never seen anything like it," he said. Trump also dismissed a question from a reporter about what more could have been done to warn residents, saying: "Only an evil person would ask a question like that."In the wake of the deadly tragedy, questions have been raised about whether adequate warnings were provided and why camps weren't evacuated ahead of the have said a number of factors led to the deadly impact of the flash flood, including the pre-dawn timing and the location of some buildings.
New York Times
12-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
FEMA Approved Removal of Many Camp Mystic Buildings From Flood Zones
In the years before floodwaters killed more than two dozen people at Camp Mystic in Texas, regulators approved a series of appeals that removed many of the camp's buildings from official federal flood zones, records show. Flood maps developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2011 had placed much of the camp within a 100-year flood zone, an area considered to be at high risk of flooding. Camp Mystic successfully challenged those designations, which would limit renovation projects and require flood insurance, citing elevation calculations of a series of buildings that allowed them to be exempted from the federal restrictions. Sarah Pralle, an associate professor at Syracuse University who has researched federal flood mapping, said she found the exemptions granted to Camp Mystic, a girls' camp on the Guadalupe River near Hunt, to be 'perplexing.' Some of the buildings were still very close to expected flood elevations, she said. 'I think it's extremely troubling that it's a camp for children,' Ms. Pralle said. 'You'd think you want to be extra cautious — that you'd go beyond the minimum of what's required for flood protection.' It was unclear from the federal records precisely which buildings were removed from the flood maps, and the camp's more detailed application for removal, which was first reported by The Associated Press, was not available. FEMA's official flood maps show that some of the camp's cabins were within a 'floodway,' a particularly hazardous area where dangerous floodwaters would be expected to flow. Other cabins were within a broader zone that would also be expected to flood once every 100 years. Those maps have not been modified to incorporate Camp Mystic's written appeals. Some of the buildings included in Camp Mystic's appeals were listed as having an elevation more than 10 feet higher than the 100-year flood level, a measure of the probability of a major flood occurring. But others were much closer: In a 2013 document about removing buildings from the flood zone, six of the 15 buildings identified were described as being within three feet of the 100-year elevation. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Newsweek
12-07-2025
- General
- Newsweek
FEMA Deleted Texas Camp's Buildings from Flood Map—Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal regulators approved appeals to remove buildings from the 100-year flood hazard map of Camp Mystic, reducing regulatory oversight in a high-risk floodplain in Texas before torrential waters struck the site, the Associated Press has reported. In 2011, the Christian girls' camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, had been included in a "Special Flood Hazard Area" in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood map which included requiring flood insurance and stricter construction regulations. But following appeals, FEMA changed the flood maps in 2013, 2019, and 2020 to exclude 30 buildings across the sites which were part of the camp hit by the flood that killed at 27 people including campers, counsellors and the camp owner, the AP reported. FEMA told the AP that the flood maps were only snapshots that showed minimum standards for floodplain management and were not predictions of where it will flood. Newsweek has contacted FEMA and Camp Mystic for comment by email. Caution tape covers the entrance of Camp Mystic on July 07, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Caution tape covers the entrance of Camp Mystic on July 07, 2025 in Hunt, It Matters More than 130 people across mutiple counties have been confirmed dead in the flash floods that hit Texas on July 4 while Camp Mystic has confirmed that at least 27 girls and counsellors were among them. The AP report raises questions over why a camp responsible for children's safety received exemptions from flood regulations. Experts cited by the agency said that this would have lessened the oversight of the camp as it expanded in a hazardous floodplain. What To Know The AP report said that federal regulators had approved appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map in the years before this month's flood. The camp had been designated by FEMA as being in a "Special Flood Hazard Area" on its National Flood Insurance map for Kerr County in 2011. This indicated a 1 percent chance of flooding, meant it needed flood insurance and faced stricter regulations on future building projects. After an appeal, FEMA amended the county's flood map in 2013 to remove 15 of the camp's buildings from the hazard zone which were part of Camp Mystic Guadalupe, destroyed by last week's flood, according to the AP. FEMA also removed 15 more structures in 2019 and 2020 from the designation located on nearby Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a sister site which was also damaged in the floods, the agency added. Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who reviewed the amendments for AP, said it was "a mystery" why proactive steps to move structures away from the risk were not taken. Experts told the AP that Camp Mystic's requests to amend the FEMA map could have been to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, lower insurance premiums or allow new structures under less costly regulations. However, FEMA said in a statement that flood maps showed minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for insurance but were not predictions of where it will flood, and do not show where it has flooded before. Meanwhile, Chris Steubing, executive director of the Texas Floodplain Management Association, said it would be difficult to call the flood plain management a failure. This was because the rain and flooding that hit Kerr County was a historic high and officials would have thought they were following existing regulations but "then Mother Nature set a new standard." What People Are Saying Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle to the AP: "It's a mystery to me why they weren't taking proactive steps to move structures away from the risk." FEMA in a statement said that the flood maps: "Are not predictions of where it will flood, and they don't show where it has flooded before." Chris Steubing, executive director of the Texas Floodplain Management Association: "You could have built things two feet higher, three feet higher, and they still might have gotten taken down." What Happens Next As Texas officials face questions over emergency flood alerts, some grieving parents have launched charities and memorial funds in honor of their daughters, with donors so far contributing a total of $1 million, according to reports. Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
