TX TX-Hunt, Overnight flooding at Camp Mystic, all girls camp. Unknown number of missing. July 4, 2025

[Marie A]

Christian summer camp where girls went missing during devastating flooding has been attended by daughters of Texas’ political elite for 100 years

Camp Mystic has been a destination for the daughters of Texas’s political elite since it was founded in 1926.

nypost.com

 

[Skigh]

"Camp Mystic’s cost has been reported as being more than $4,300 per camper, and other camps advertise prices as high as $6,300 for a four-week session."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-weather/article/texas-deadly-flood-guadalupe-river-20422503.php

I am not sure how the cost of the camp has anything to do with this heartbreaking event.

 

[Marie A]

MISSING from Camp Mystic

Mary Grace Baker- 8- Houston-St Anne Catholic School (Twins)

Anna Margaret Bellows-8- Houston-(Bubble Inn)

Lila Bonner- Dallas (Bubble Inn)

Chloe Childress- camp counselor (Bubble Inn)

Molly Dewitt- Houston (Bubble Inn)

Katherine Ferruzzo- camp counselor (Bubble Inn)

Annie Flack

Ellen Getten- Houston (Bubble Inn)

Hadley Hanna- 8-Dallas

Virginia Hollis

Janie Hunt- Dallas-(Bubble Inn) FOUND DECEASED

Lainey Landry- 9-Houston (Bubble Inn)

Kellyanne Lytal - San Antonio, TX (Twins 1)

Sarah Marsh -Mountain Brook, AL- FOUND DECEASED

Linnie McCown- Austin (Bubble Inn)

Blakely McCrory- (Twins 1)

Wynne Naylor- 8 - Dallas- Lake Highlands Elementary School (Bubble Inn)

Eloise Peck- Dallas (Bubble Inn)

Abby Pohl- Austin (Bubble Inn)

Margaret Sheedy- Houston

Renee Smajstrla- Ingram, TX (Bubble Inn) FOUND DECEASED

Mary Stevens - Austin (Bubble Inn)

Cile Steward- Austin

Greta Toranzo- Houston

 

[lilythistle]

"Camp Mystic’s cost has been reported as being more than $4,300 per camper, and other camps advertise prices as high as $6,300 for a four-week session."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-weather/article/texas-deadly-flood-guadalupe-river-20422503.php

"The deadly flooding that hit Kerrville on July Fourth stirred memories of a similar disaster nearly 40 years earlier. It happened on the morning of July 17, 1987. In all, 43 teenagers and adults were swept into the water. Thirty-three were rescued. Nearly 300 children from Seagoville Baptist Church in Balch Springs, near Dallas, had spent the week at the camp."

So, not the first time that it happened at the camp. I always account for the human mentality, "unless it happens, it is next to impossible". But it did happen before in this location.

I don't think it was the same camp. That was at the Pot O Gold Ranch.

 

[AngTxGal]

Moo..the powers that be, do not start evacuating until the flooding starts. Flash flooding is as unpredictable as tornadoes and earthquakes. This flood happened so fast, sadly....moo

These water systems are monitored, with radar of actual rainfall and weather modeling- they should be able to make some predictions- and then someone acts to send warnings.

Water levels are highly monitored in rivers that flow into the lakes, the lakes, the underground rivers- aquifers because water levels are controlled in lakes.
Flood control
Water storage for cities during dry months and droughts

There are warning systems- some people were warned and were able to get out.
Others did not get a warning- not sure why.

I’ve heard a few meteorologists saying river monitoring systems sent incorrect depths.
One reporter said the gauges stopped recording when they reached near 20 feet
One said the river level gauges for two rivers near Hunt did not update

So it may have been a combination between river depth gauges sending info to other systems and they were not working correctly, plus rainfall much greater than was predicted


Terrifying-
IMO

 

[10ofRods]

These water systems are monitored, with radar of actual rainfall and weather modeling- they should be able to make some predictions- and then someone acts to send warnings.

Water levels are highly monitored in rivers that flow into the lakes, the lakes, the underground rivers- aquifers because water levels are controlled in lakes.
Flood control
Water storage for cities during dry months and droughts

There are warning systems- some people were warned and were able to get out.
Others did not get a warning- not sure why.

I’ve heard a few meteorologists saying river monitoring systems sent incorrect depths.
One reporter said the gauges stopped recording when they reached near 20 feet
One said the river level gauges for two rivers near Hunt did not update

So it may have been a combination between river depth gauges sending info to other systems and they were not working correctly, plus rainfall much greater than was predicted


Terrifying-
IMO

There was a general warning on weather websites (NWS is the source of the warning) 12 hours before the flash flood.

There was no phone-based automated system. It looks like it is up to each state to figure out how to do that. According to the article below, it was ultimately a "human chain of communication" that had to take place. I figure this means that camps are supposed to check the weather, consider local risk and make relevant decisions.

“It is not good enough for authorities to say they were not aware that floods were coming. Warnings were available but the message just didn’t get through. This must be a reminder of the need to invest more effort in checking every aspect of early warning systems, from the science, to the communications, to the education required to spread more understanding of the risks and how to respond to them.”
...“This downpour seems to have been well forecasted by multiple forecasters around the world, several hours in advance. Warnings were issued, but the systems do not seem to have been in place to get information to those in harm’s way fast enough...

emphasis added

expert reaction to Texas floods | Science Media Centre

Sounds like camps of this type should be required by law to have training and very well spelled out emergency plans, with clear chain of command about who is supposed to monitor weather alerts and set a relocation process in motion. That's typically the job of state authorities where I live.

 

[AngTxGal]

I am not sure how the cost of the camp has anything to do with this heartbreaking event.

I would agree, but what it does mean is change will happen.
Money means people will be held accountable for any lack of warning system that could have prevented a loss of life.

I’m not familiar with this camp but I am familiar with several other camps in the area that are not faith-based.

IMO

 

[Dre]

If I’m paying $5000 for care of my child somewhere reputable, I absolutely expect there to have been trainings and a plan in place in all types of emergencies- especially those recorded having happened before. JMO

 

[appleatcha]

Camp Mystic sits on a strip known as “flash flood alley,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a charitable endowment that is collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster.

“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” Dickson said. “It rushes down the hill.”

State officials began warning of potential deadly weather a day earlier. The National Weather Service had predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the region, but 10 inches fell.

The Guadalupe River rose to 26 feet within about 45 minutes in the early morning hours, submerging its flood gauge, Patrick said.

Decades prior, floodwaters engulfed a bus of teenage campers from another Christian camp along the Guadalupe River during devastating summer storms in 1987. A total of 10 campers from Pot O’ Gold Christian camp drowned after their bus was unable to evacuate in time from a site near Comfort, 33 miles (53 kilometers) east of Hunt.

Texas families plead for information on at least 23 girls missing from summer camp after floods

Texas parents are frantically posting photos of their daughters and pleas for information as at least 23 campers from an all-girls summer camp remain missing after floods tore through the state’s south-central region. At least 24 people were dead Friday and dozens missing after months worth of...

www.kob.com

Knowing what happened in 1987 and the fact that the area is called "flash flood alley," I'm stunned that anyone would choose to build a camp there. I'm absolutely gutted for these families, and growing angrier with the camp owners by the minute. I also fully agree with other posters who've pointed out the horrible impact of the NWS cuts. The whole thing is just awful and never should have happened, IMO.

 

[Quill]

Christian summer camp where girls went missing during devastating flooding has been attended by daughters of Texas’ political elite for 100 years

Camp Mystic has been a destination for the daughters of Texas’s political elite since it was founded in 1926.

nypost.com

Interesting flex with this article. Now do all the Hollywood elite who send their kids. I didn't grow up going to these expensive summer camps, but I have a kid who got recruited in college to go work at one in a different state. It was life-changing for her in so many positive ways. It was faith-based but not in your face about it. Anyway, she was amazed at the many kids and grand-kids of Hollywood celebrities that sent their kids there.

 

[Quill]

If I’m paying $5000 for care of my child somewhere reputable, I absolutely expect there to have been trainings and a plan in place in all types of emergencies- especially those recorded having happened before. JMO

But you are assuming they didn't do all of these things. This was a natural disaster of epic proportions and sadly, sometimes there is just nothing that can be done in time. I suspect we will learn much more in the coming days, but when a dam breaks as the one in a nearby town did, it changes everything about any prediction that could have been made. 30 feet of water rising in 90 minutes. I saw someone estimate that translates into an inch in seconds! Nothing can prepare you for that, sadly.

 

[appleatcha]

But you are assuming they didn't do all of these things. This was a natural disaster of epic proportions and sadly, sometimes there is just nothing that can be done in time. I suspect we will learn much more in the coming days, but when a dam breaks as the one in a nearby town did, it changes everything about any prediction that could have been made. 30 feet of water rising in 90 minutes. I saw someone estimate that translates into an inch in seconds! Nothing can prepare you for that, sadly.

Do you have a source for this being caused by a dam breaking? I saw another post saying that was just a rumor, so I'm trying to figure out if it's true. Thanks in advance!

 

[TexLil]

At least 27 fatalities have been reported so far, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said in an email Saturday morning. The dead include 18 adults and 9 children.

Dozens dead in Texas after devastating flash floods slam Hill Country, officials say

"Between 23 and 25" campers are still believed to be missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp, officials said Friday night.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[10ofRods]

Knowing what happened in 1987 and the fact that the area is called "flash flood alley," I'm stunned that anyone would choose to build a camp there. I'm absolutely gutted for these families, and growing angrier with the camp owners by the minute. I also fully agree with other posters who've pointed out the horrible impact of the NWS cuts. The whole thing is just awful and never should have happened, IMO.

It was built 100 years ago and I think people were very proud of its history. Without outside regulation, often private companies and landowners do not take accurate stock of what needs to be done. While the flood alert went out 12 hours before the water hit the camp, there were no push signals to phones (apparently). Perhaps there's not much connectivity there?

I live in a state that's considered over-regulated. Fortunately, the Palisades fire didn't happen during summer, as there are camps up there as well. However, staff were evacuated by special units from three local fire departments, whose job that was when the fire began burning near homes and camps. It usually takes several sets of regulations to get this kind of response. My own workplace has a requirement of having a wide green zone around it with automatic heat detection and sprinklers (which in the case of the Palisades, failed on the north end of the fire due to lower water pressure). But the humans did go and do their evacuation work. So the year round camp carers were saved.

It is a great tragedy. My heart breaks for those parents.

 

[Knox]

There was a general warning on weather websites (NWS is the source of the warning) 12 hours before the flash flood.

There was no phone-based automated system. It looks like it is up to each state to figure out how to do that. According to the article below, it was ultimately a "human chain of communication" that had to take place. I figure this means that camps are supposed to check the weather, consider local risk and make relevant decisions.


emphasis added

expert reaction to Texas floods | Science Media Centre

Sounds like camps of this type should be required by law to have training and very well spelled out emergency plans, with clear chain of command about who is supposed to monitor weather alerts and set a relocation process in motion. That's typically the job of state authorities where I live.

I’m sure their insurance policies require emergency action plans. But like all plans, they are only as good as the employees who will put them in action. I have no idea how well trained they were. I’ll be interested to hear the details on this.

Part of the issue is that local officials didn’t call for evacuations. So that also plays into it too.

 

[legomonster]

These water systems are monitored, with radar of actual rainfall and weather modeling- they should be able to make some predictions- and then someone acts to send warnings.

Water levels are highly monitored in rivers that flow into the lakes, the lakes, the underground rivers- aquifers because water levels are controlled in lakes.
Flood control
Water storage for cities during dry months and droughts

There are warning systems- some people were warned and were able to get out.
Others did not get a warning- not sure why.

I’ve heard a few meteorologists saying river monitoring systems sent incorrect depths.
One reporter said the gauges stopped recording when they reached near 20 feet
One said the river level gauges for two rivers near Hunt did not update

So it may have been a combination between river depth gauges sending info to other systems and they were not working correctly, plus rainfall much greater than was predicted


Terrifying-
IMO

People receive/look at news from social media more than any other source, not television, not networks, not newspapers, as in the past. As such, people are not realizing that local news outlets and newspapers are pretty much extinct and this is why I feel the message is not being received because so much of it is algorithm driven.

The NWS/NOAA began messaging 12 hours prior. With Hurricane Helene, several including myself publicly emphasized flash flooding emergencies before but it was lost in the algorithm fodder.

We need to mass educate the public on how to receive the most accurate information before the next disaster imo.

 

[10ofRods]

But you are assuming they didn't do all of these things. This was a natural disaster of epic proportions and sadly, sometimes there is just nothing that can be done in time. I suspect we will learn much more in the coming days, but when a dam breaks as the one in a nearby town did, it changes everything about any prediction that could have been made. 30 feet of water rising in 90 minutes. I saw someone estimate that translates into an inch in seconds! Nothing can prepare you for that, sadly.

Dam inspections and mandatory lowering of water are state policy where I live, when there's a potential flash flood rain event coming up. The dam inspections are weekly in any case. The one dam near me that's at capacity is also so silted in that it's as if a second dam is constructed on the side where the water is (leading to less and less capacity over the years - they are in the process of doing the downstream engineering to remove that dam, just for these reasons - there's a campground and an RV park in the path of the potential flood water; no houses have been rebuilt since the last 2 floods). I can remember going down with my dad to look at the RV's floating out to sea. IIRC, at least one person died. There's a lot of concrete channeling around that park now, and the reservoir capacity is reduced for a reason.

But obviously, this happened in response to a major incident (almost 55 years ago). We actually have both county and city taxes on real estate to fund these control measures. It's not a lot per household, frankly and well worth it.

 

[Tbone144]

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

We are now more than 24 hours into this tragic event, and KPD, KFD, KCSO and other first responders from around Texas are continuing to conduct rescue and recovery operations along the Guadalupe River corridor.

As of 8:55am, we have evacuated over 850 uninjured people, 8 injured people, and have recovered 27 deceased. This includes 18 adults and 9 children. Six adults and 1 child are currently unidentified. We are unable to release any further information on the deceased at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased and their loved ones. We are working hard to locate anyone who is still missing and ensure they are safe.

 

[legomonster]

Do you have a source for this being caused by a dam breaking? I saw another post saying that was just a rumor, so I'm trying to figure out if it's true. Thanks in advance!

I am going to tell you at this stage it's too early to contribute it to just that. Over 16,000 dams in America are considered to have high hazard potential. Waverly, Tennessee had a flooding event that made a tidal wave that killed 20 in 2021 and the families of the victims are in a civil suit with a company over it that reaches the court system next year.

 

[Quill]

I am going to tell you at this stage it's too early to contribute it to just that. Over 16,000 dams in America are considered to have high hazard potential. Waverly, Tennessee had a flooding event that made a tidal wave that killed 20 in 2021 and the families of the victims are in a civil suit with a company over it that reaches the court system next year.

Not my intention to assert that a dam failure was the only cause. 30 feet of rain in the space of an hour and half is the cause. Any kind of failure or overwhelming of a nearby is certainly a contributing factor. But as you say, it is too early and much will come out once they experts know more.