FEMA loosened flood oversight at Camp Mystic
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Bubble Inn saw generations of 8-year-olds enter as strangers and emerge as confident young ladies equipped with new skills from the great outdoors and lifelong friends – bonds that would one day prove vital in the face of unfathomable tragedy.
Records released Tuesday show Camp Mystic met state regulations for disaster procedures, but details of the plan remain unclear.
Some camps in the region had to be evacuated, and local newspapers described how Camp Mystic was among those cut off from the outside world. According to a Kerr County history book, floodwaters at Camp Mystic almost reached the top of the dining hall’s stairs.
Coloradan Hillary Conway is a former camper and counselor at Camp Mystic, the epicenter of the deadly Texas flooding last week.
Amid chaos from the flood, campers huddled with young counselors—many unaware of the devastation just yards away.
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At least 19 of the cabins at Camp Mystic were located in designated flood zones, including some in an area deemed “extremely hazardous” by the county.
"And our cabins are high up, and for them to be flooding, it's like, you know, something's wrong," Georgia Jones said.
Texas records show Camp Mystic had an emergency plan before floods killed at least 27 campers and counselors, but details of its storm response are still unclear.
"Their focus is fighting through that grief to stay connected with the families of their campers and helping them in any way they can," a camp spokesperson says