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Camp Mystic, other Texas camps may not reopen this summer due to 'insufficient' emergency plans

Law enforcement agents investigate the scene at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025.
Patricia Lim
/
KUT News
Law enforcement agents investigate the scene at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025.

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp where 27 people died during last July's deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country, received notice from state health officials on Thursday that it may be denied a license to operate this summer if it does not make revisions to its emergency plan.

The letter from the Texas Department of State Health Services, which was first publicized by the Quorum Report on Friday, stated the camp has 45 days to correct "deficiencies" in the plan. That includes not having floodplain locations marked, as well as "insufficient" plans in the event of a natural disaster, a flash flood warning evacuation or a National Weather Service notice.

A spokesperson from DSHS told KUT News in an email on Friday that "most youth camps have received a notice of deficiency letter" for not having emergency plans in compliance with new laws passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025.

In a statement on Friday, Camp Mystic said it was reviewing the letter and working with DSHS to fix its emergency plan.

"Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our campers," it said.

Camp Mystic is still under investigation by State health officials for complaints made against the camp last summer.

More than a dozen families are also suing the camp and its leaders for negligent behavior leading up to and during the Fourth of July flood.

Last week, a state district judge ordered Camp Mystic not to alter, demolish, repair or remove structures affected by the flood. It came at the request of the parents of Cecilia "Cile" Steward, an 8-year-old girl who's still missing after being swept away at the camp.

The Stewards argued the ruling is necessary to avoid the destruction of evidence as the camp plans to welcome more than 800 campers back to its property on the south fork of the Guadalupe River this summer.

Copyright 2026 KUT News

Kailey Hunt