The youngest girls at Camp Mystic in Texas were asleep in cabins alarmingly close to the river when a catastrophic flash flood struck early in the morning on July 4. The water surged dramatically, rising an astonishing 20 feet above flood stage in just 90 minutes, starting around 4 a.m. This tragic event has led to the confirmation of at least five fatalities, all girls aged 8 and 9, with 12 additional campers still unaccounted for.
Among those confirmed dead is the longtime owner of this cherished Christian getaway, which boasts a rich history in Texas and counts former First Lady Laura Bush among its past counselors. The cabins designated for the youngest campers are unsettlingly positioned on low-lying "flats," less than 225 feet from the banks of the Guadalupe River, as reported by the New York Times and corroborated by satellite imagery of the camp. Most of the missing girls were housed in these vulnerable cabins.
The flood gauge at Hunt, Texas—located approximately five miles upstream—indicates that the water level escalated by 20 feet from its normal state to severe flooding conditions between 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on July 4. The severity of the situation was exacerbated by a month’s worth of rainfall that fell in mere minutes, indicating that the floods would have impacted Camp Mystic even earlier than they did.
The death toll from the Texas flooding has tragically risen to 59, with 11 girls still missing from Camp Mystic. Officials have faced scrutiny for their decisions regarding evacuation protocols, as survivors and family members express their concerns over the lack of timely responses. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick confirmed that flash flood alerts were issued; however, not everyone received this critical information.
Among those who experienced the terror of the flood was 13-year-old survivor Elinor Lester, who was located in a cabin on higher ground known as Senior Hill. “The camp was completely destroyed. It was really scary,” she recounted to the newspaper. The history of Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp with two locations—one by the Guadalupe River and another at Cypress Creek—has been forever changed by this disaster.
The five girls who tragically lost their lives in this flooding have been identified as Lila Bonner, 9, Janie Hunt, 9, Sarah Marsh, 8, Eloise Peck, 8, and Renee Smajstrla, 9. At the time of the floods, approximately 750 girls were attending the camp. The floodwaters reached nearly 30 feet, marking this as the second-worst flooding event on record, surpassing even the devastating floods of 1987.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, a mother of two campers voiced her frustrations, claiming that camp staff “should have been on top” of the crisis, especially after warnings were issued about the risk of flash flooding earlier that week. Serena Hanor Aldrich, whose daughters, ages 9 and 12, were rescued, stressed the importance of proactive measures. Her younger daughter, who was closer to the riverbank, managed to escape to a building that remained above water for several hours.
The unfolding events at Camp Mystic serve as a stark reminder of the unpredictable power of nature and the urgent need for effective communication and safety protocols in environments housing vulnerable populations. As the community comes to grips with this tragedy, ongoing coverage will keep the public informed about recovery efforts and the status of those still missing.
