Camp Mystic’s disaster plan OK’d by state inspectors 2 days before deadly Texas floods

Camp Mystic’s emergency plan was approved by Texas inspectors just two days before disaster struck Friday when floods ravaged the grounds, killing 27 campers and counselors, according to a report.

The camp complied with a laundry list of regulations regarding “procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster,” including evacuation plans, according to records from the Department of State Health Services obtained by The Associated Press.

Five years of inspection records reviewed by the AP, however, did not detail Camp Mystic’s disaster plan, which are required by state law to be posted in all camp buildings.

The all-girl Christian camp founded in 1926 didn’t evacuate before the catastrophic rainfall in the already flood-prone area along the Guadalupe Rivera that led to the deadliest floods Texas has seen in more than a century. 

Local and state officials have repeatedly avoided answering questions about who was monitoring the approaching storm and what steps were taken to prepare for the flooding.

The waters inundated the Guadalupe River and swept away cabins, tents and trailers.

Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor remain missing.

Overall, at least 172 people are still missing in Texas’ Hill Country days after once-in-a generation flash floods, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday.

Abbott took a helicopter tour of the affected area, noting the death tolls from the floods — which now stands at 111 — has surpassed the number of Texans killed in Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, in which 103 people died.

Kerr County, where Camp Mystic was located, accounted for 87 of the deaths. Rescuers continue to search for survivors.