‘Our lives have been devastated’
Texas lawmakers have passed legislation aimed at overhauling safety standards for youth camps following the tragic deaths of 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic last month.
Ahead of the Aug. 21 passage of Senate Bill 1, or the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, parents, family members and friends of the victims filled the gallery of the Capitol Senate Chamber in Austin, where they shared stories of grief and anger over the catastrophic flash flooding that swept the private Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River on July 4.
Championed by Lubbock Senator Charles Perry, who chairs the Senate’s Flooding and Disaster Response Committee, SB 1 mandates that when a flash flood warning is issued, campers must be immediately evacuated to higher ground, removing subjective decision-making from camp operators. It also prohibits sleeping in cabins located within 100-year flood plains.
Additionally, the bill requires all summer camps to file a multi-hazard emergency response plan with the Department of State Health Services, mandating annual emergency training for employees and evacuation drills for campers at the start of each session. Camps must also maintain operational weather alert radios and public address systems to ensure timely communication during dangerous conditions.
Perry said SB 1 was inspired by harrowing testimonies heard from the victims’ families, including from Michael McCown, father of 8-year-old flood victim Linnie, who delivered an emotional account during the committee hearing.
“Our lives have been devastated by Linnie’s death, and we are only just beginning the long process of recovery,” McCown said, recounting the moment he learned his daughter was missing despite what he believed to be an initial assurance from Camp Mystic that she was accounted for.
“On July 4th, while driving to Kerrville to pick up my daughter, I received an email from Camp Mystic stating if you had not been personally contacted, then your daughter is accounted for,” said McCown. “I felt a wave of relief, which was quickly shattered about 30 minutes later when my wife called, incredibly distraught, to say that Linnie is missing. She just got off the phone with the camp; she’s unaccounted for.”
McCown criticized Camp Mystic’s lack of updated storm information and subsequent failure to prepare for the flooding. “I believe that being disconnected from electronics for a time is very healthy for kids, but that disconnection should be superficial,” he said. “Behind the scenes, the back office and foundation of summer camp must be fully up to date.”
Of the more than 130 people who died as a result of flash flooding in Texas, at least 100 were in Kerr County, including 36 children.
One of the key failures from emergency response teams that night was a reported hours-long delay in sending out a mass emergency alert to warn residents of the flooding in the Hill Country.
According to a report from San Antonio news outlet KSAT, Kerr County officials took nearly six hours to send a CodeRED Alert requested by a firefighter with the Ingram Volunteer Fire Department at 4:22 a.m. Central time. A CodeRED Alert was not sent to some residents until 10:04 a.m., according to KSAT.
McCown said such failures led to the death of his little girl.
“We did not send Linnie to a war zone; we sent her to camp. We trust that she would be safe. No parents should ever again face what we are living through now,” he said. “Yes, there are risks in outdoor activities, but never was there a question that camp would not be prepared for them.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praised the families for their bravery and grace, noting, “The one thing besides courage that you’ve shown, you’ve been so gracious to us. In a way, you’ve inspired us to do our best, and we’re all better for that.”
Calling it a “horrifically bad response by Camp Mystic,” Houston Sen. Paul Bettencourt said he was especially dismayed to learn that the camp policy was not to evacuate cabins during flooding.
“We can never have another camp make this mistake again,” Bettencourt said.
In addition to SB 1, the Texas Senate also approved measures to enhance local emergency management, install warning sirens in flood-prone areas, and allocate nearly $300 million for relief and reforms.
