Flood Zone Scandal: Lawsuits Claim Camp Mystic Owners Prioritized Profit Over Campers’ Lives

A summer camp in Texas is being sued following a deadly summer flood.

A Lawsuit is Filed Against Camp Mystic in Texas Hill Country

Two lawsuits have been filed by the families of the young girls who were killed in flash flooding last summer at Camp Mystic. According to the Austin American - Statesman, the lawsuits charge that the camp owners were aware of the flood risk, neglected to inform the girl’s parents of the danger and did nothing to prevent the loss of life in a flash flood scenario. The lawsuits argue that the 27 deaths were preventable.

The Defendants in the Texas Lawsuit

Both lawsuits name the camp owners Dick and Tweety Eastman, Camp Mystic and several entities as defendants. Dick Eastman died in the flood, but his son Britt Eastland is named as an Eastland family representative along with Dick’s other son Edward, and his wife, Mary Liz.

The Camp Mystic Lawsuits Cite the Camp’s Flooding History

Camp Mystic has experienced flooding in the past, and both lawsuits argue that the camp ownership and employers knew the area was in a flood zone but did nothing to lessen the risk associated with flash flooding. In the July 4th flood, the Guadalupe River rose from 14 feet to nearly 30 feet in just an hour. The lawsuits state that there have been at least three incidents at Camp Mystic involving floodwater evacuations and property damage due to flooding.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Designation

According to the lawsuit, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ruled that a large portion of the camp lay within a 100-year flood zone as recently as 2011. The lawsuit charges that the designation means there was a one percent chance that the camp would flood at some point in time.

The Camp Owners’ Reaction to the Flood Zone Designation

In the lawsuits, the plaintiffs argue that the Eastland family appealed to have the flood designation removed...and in 2013, 2019 and 2020, FEMA amended the flood maps to remove camp-owned structures along the Guadalupe River and Cypress Lake from the designated flood zone. The lawsuit alleges that the Camp Mystic’s owners wanted the designation removed for financial reasons. The suits claim that the camp owners did not want the designation to prevent campers from attending camp, to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, and to ensure the camp could add structures without expensive regulations.