Nearly a year after the July 4, 2025, floods in the Texas Hill Country, the families of children and counselors killed at Camp Mystic are still seeking accountability and pushing for stronger safety standards.
An episode of "After the Flood," a podcast from the Texas Newsroom and PBS FRONTLINE, reconstructs the early morning hours of the disaster and examines the emergency failures, investigations and legislation that followed. More than 130 people died in the flooding, most in Kerr County. At Camp Mystic, 25 campers, two teenage counselors and Director Dick Eastland were killed.
The program reports that Kerr County’s emergency management coordinator was sick and asleep during critical hours as the flood developed. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly was out of town, and Sheriff Larry Leitha testified that he was awakened by deputies after flooding was already causing devastation. Federal meteorologists had issued warnings and attempted to contact local officials as the Guadalupe River rose.
A state investigation also found serious shortcomings at Camp Mystic. Investigators said the camp had no written emergency plan, no evacuation drills and no clear assignment of responsibilities during a disaster. Some counselors began moving children to higher ground on their own after realizing they could not wait for help.
Families of the victims, known as the “Heaven’s 27,” later lobbied Texas lawmakers for stronger camp-safety requirements. The state adopted new rules requiring emergency plans, training and additional protections for camps in flood-prone areas.
The reforms have drawn opposition from some camp operators and lawmakers, who argue that the requirements are too costly and burdensome for smaller camps. State Rep. Wes Virdell has said he plans to seek changes to the law in 2027.
For Matthew Childress, whose 18-year-old daughter Chloe died at Camp Mystic, the reforms offer some purpose amid continuing grief. He said the families hope the tragedy will lead to changes that save children’s lives in Texas and beyond.
