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

[Live_and_Learn]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943032214767206668

People downstream from Canyon Lake are not worried about any flooding as Canyon Lake is taking the full brunt of the water- it has been at a low level and can take a lot.

Word from certain locals to that area is that they believe that the missing bodies (or many of them) are in Canyon Lake.
That’s not in the press just word from a friend with relatives on acreage not far from Canyon Lake.
There is a boil water order in effect in the Canyon Lake area
From Kerrville to Canyon Lake is 69 miles and takes 90 minutes to drive.

All imho

Oh, that is horrifying. Thank you for sharing this local perspective.

 

[Herat]

I was surprised to read that Bubble Cottage had flooded and had been evacuated in the past.

I would have thought the camp would have changed it from a sleeping quarters to a day use facility and built a newer place for their youngest campers in a higher elevation.

 

[Friday Fan]

Texas officials are trying to figure out who’s really missing from the floods​

Texas officials are trying to figure out who's really missing from the floods

Texas officials say 161 people are still considered missing after extraordinary floods swamped parts of Kerr County and nearby areas.

apnews.com

 

[sds71]

Several years ago, Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million construction project. But instead of using that project to move at-risk cabins to higher ground, the camp built new cabins inside the 100-year flood zone.

Camp Mystic Cabins Stood in an ‘Extremely Hazardous’ Floodway

An analysis of flood maps shows that several buildings, including those where children were sleeping, were in known hazard zones. A $5 million expansion in 2019 did nothing to alleviate the problem.

www.nytimes.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943311162277540115

 

[Live_and_Learn]

Several years ago, Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million construction project. But instead of using that project to move at-risk cabins to higher ground, the camp built new cabins inside the 100-year flood zone.

Camp Mystic Cabins Stood in an ‘Extremely Hazardous’ Floodway

An analysis of flood maps shows that several buildings, including those where children were sleeping, were in known hazard zones. A $5 million expansion in 2019 did nothing to alleviate the problem.

www.nytimes.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943311162277540115

Nobody wants to second guess the owner, an elderly man who is reported to have lost his life trying to save campers, but to me, the responsibility starts here and extends locally. These actions directly led to consequences. <modsnip: political> I wonder if we will see civil suits.

 

[OddOneOut]

Several years ago, Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million construction project. But instead of using that project to move at-risk cabins to higher ground, the camp built new cabins inside the 100-year flood zone.

Camp Mystic Cabins Stood in an ‘Extremely Hazardous’ Floodway

An analysis of flood maps shows that several buildings, including those where children were sleeping, were in known hazard zones. A $5 million expansion in 2019 did nothing to alleviate the problem.

www.nytimes.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943311162277540115

Did the Camp Mystics owners own the land at a higher elevation or did someone else? If not, was the higher elevations land available to buy?

 

[Friday Fan]

Did the Camp Mystics owners own the land at a higher elevation or did someone else? If not, was the higher elevations land available to buy?

They own the cross at the top of the hill.

MOO: To keep costs down, they probably did not want to build on the slope. MOO

 

[Friday Fan]

Did the Camp Mystics owners own the land at a higher elevation or did someone else? If not, was the higher elevations land available to buy?

This is the best I could find. Don't know how accurate

ETA: Found an adjacent parcel at higher elevation.

I'm not much on property, but I know some on here are...

BIS Consulting Web App

gis.bisclient.com

Includes upgrades, so I'm pretty sure it's the property. Owned by an LLC.

Kerr CAD Property Search

esearch.kerrcad.org

Adjacent parcel at higher elevation, (1968 ft ) shows no recent improvements (new buildings etc)

Kerr CAD Property Search

esearch.kerrcad.org

River is at about 1817 ft. (Would link, but don't want to drive everyone crazy with links)

However, I don't know how "parcels" work. If you own the adjoining parcel, why wouldn't you build on it?

 

[Sundog]

I was surprised to read that Bubble Cottage had flooded and had been evacuated in the past.

I would have thought the camp would have changed it from a sleeping quarters to a day use facility and built a newer place for their youngest campers in a higher elevation.

Do you have a link? Thanks.

 

[Friday Fan]

Do you have a link? Thanks.

'It's a Waking Nightmare': Camp Mystic Alum Recalls Flood That Hit the Same Cabins in 1987

Nearly 40 years ago, Katherine Howe was evacuated from one of the Camp Mystic cabins washed away by the swollen Guadalupe River on July 4.

thebarbedwire.com

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Oh, that is horrifying. Thank you for sharing this local perspective.

It is, but it may lead to faster recovery though

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Nobody wants to second guess the owner, an elderly man who is reported to have lost his life trying to save campers, but to me, the responsibility starts here and extends locally. These actions directly led to consequences. <modsnip: political> I wonder if we will see civil suits.

"I wonder if we will see civil suits."
With how well-heeled the campers' families are, you can bet on it. I'm sure the lawyers are already lining up.

ETA I'm sure land speculators are also lining up.

 

[Sundog]

Trump confirms Texas trip on Friday with first lady

The president confirmed plans to tour the Texas area during a Cabinet meeting with reporters.

www.fox7austin.com

Good to see that the President and First Lady will visit Texas tomorrow.

 

[Jade]

This is a huge vacation area. (I can't emphasize this enough!!)

It floods, but in the past lost of life has been minimal.

It's our little "slice of heaven" 60 miles from home. We've rented several AirBnB's and it's always been on the 4th of July. I figured out from media reports that one was ruined and the other one likely was. I don't know what our family we have done. We've got five grandkids and one of them is only 2 months old! Two of them are toddlers. One is 6, the other is nine, but has developmental delays.

One AirBnB is west of Hunt and the other was in Kerrville. At least in Kerrville, you can cross the street to get to high ground.

I don't know what we would have done in Hunt. You can't escape in a vehicle without crossing low water. Our gang of toddlers would have had to climb a steep cliff in the back of the property to escape high water. However, I can picture us gang of adults arguing about what to do until it was too late.

The house in Hunt is quite a distance from the river too,. The river was across the street from FM 1340 and you had to go down about a 10 foot gently sloped bank to access the water. Additionally, the house was setback about 100 yards from FM 1340. It's easy to assume that the river would not reach the house or cross the road. And the only way to determine that water was approaching the house was for someone to walk down the long driveway.

However, yesterday, when I looked at the FEMA maps, it was in the flood plain and there was not enough elevation rise from the river. If the river rose 10 feet, we would have been OK, but over 10, the house would have been flooded.

I can picture us in the black of the night, thinking that the river would not cross the road and that we were actually in "high ground" when we weren't. Of course, we would not have had cell service at the Hunt house, but we did have internet at the house. Of course, if the electricity went out, we would lose internet.

It would have taken sirens and someone from emergency management to properly alert us in Hunt. In the old days, they would go door to door. That's why only 10 people died in 1987 and they died when a bus went through a low water crossing. (Bus should not have done that and they were sued) Someone from a emergency management could have given us instructions in Hunt before it was too late.


I agree, this beautiful vacation area is going to lose business. It was our favorite spot. Our son worked at one of the camps when he was a teen.

The businesses will hopefully take personal responsibility for their guests and demonstrate by equipping their cabins/camp grounds with safety tech or other methods of protection, caretaker on property for example, even if they don’t I don’t think the tourism will suffer.

Speaking from a tourist town there is little that will divert them from their intent or alter their it won’t happen to me outlook. If lodging/ camping / restaurants are available they will come.

This owner seems one that can be trusted to make sure his guests are protected and safe:

Chambers said he didn’t know of any threatening storm system or flood potential until he received a phone call at his home in nearby Boerne from Drew Yancy, his partner who was staying on the property. Yancy told him the Guadalupe was rising.

Chambers sped the 25 miles to the park, arriving just as the river was spilling over its banks. It was 6:29 a.m. As he stood watching the swelling river, he saw a four-foot high wall of water rolling down the river toward him, carrying tree branches, roof siding and other debris.

He sprinted up the shore and he and another worker began banging on RV doors. He didn’t stop until all 15 customers, including several children, had left the property.

Chambers celebrated his 77th birthday on July 7….He has insurance and plans to rebuild, though he won’t put RVs near the riverbank again – those are the ones that vanished downstream.

MSN


Could bring a trail camera to set up to monitor the river and a satellite phone to check in with an offsite protective news and weather watcher.

I’ve mentioned a Hummer with its exhaust on its roof saved a load evacuating in a flash flood in a narrow canyon in my area. If I were determined to visit with small children and an infant I’d probably get or rent a Hummer with a roof top exhaust to flee in.

all imo

 

[Sundog]

The businesses will hopefully take personal responsibility for their guests and demonstrate by equipping their cabins/camp grounds with safety tech or other methods of protection, caretaker on property for example, even if they don’t I don’t think the tourism will suffer.

Speaking from a tourist town there is little that will divert them from their intent or alter their it won’t happen to me outlook. If lodging/ camping / restaurants are available they will come.

This owner seems one that can be trusted to make sure his guests are protected and safe:

Chambers said he didn’t know of any threatening storm system or flood potential until he received a phone call at his home in nearby Boerne from Drew Yancy, his partner who was staying on the property. Yancy told him the Guadalupe was rising.

Chambers sped the 25 miles to the park, arriving just as the river was spilling over its banks. It was 6:29 a.m. As he stood watching the swelling river, he saw a four-foot high wall of water rolling down the river toward him, carrying tree branches, roof siding and other debris.

He sprinted up the shore and he and another worker began banging on RV doors. He didn’t stop until all 15 customers, including several children, had left the property.

Chambers celebrated his 77th birthday on July 7….He has insurance and plans to rebuild, though he won’t put RVs near the riverbank again – those are the ones that vanished downstream.

MSN


Could bring a trail camera to set up to monitor the river and a satellite phone to check in with an offsite protective news and weather watcher.

I’ve mentioned a Hummer with its exhaust on its roof saved a load evacuating in a flash flood in a narrow canyon in my area. If I were determined to visit with small children and an infant I’d probably get or rent a Hummer with a roof top exhaust to flee in.

all imo

I guess they did what they could, this owner tried his best as the flood surged, as did the owner of Camp Mystic, who gave his life trying to save his youngest campers. I hope all the owners, if they rebuild, make sure their campers are in places that are safe and that they have appropriate warning systems in place so they can take action before these kinds of tragedies occur.

 

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[Ghostwheel]

This is the best I could find. Don't know how accurate

ETA: Found an adjacent parcel at higher elevation.

I'm not much on property, but I know some on here are...

BIS Consulting Web App

gis.bisclient.com

Includes upgrades, so I'm pretty sure it's the property. Owned by an LLC.

Kerr CAD Property Search

esearch.kerrcad.org

Adjacent parcel at higher elevation, (1968 ft ) shows no recent improvements (new buildings etc)

Kerr CAD Property Search

esearch.kerrcad.org

River is at about 1817 ft. (Would link, but don't want to drive everyone crazy with links)

However, I don't know how "parcels" work. If you own the adjoining parcel, why wouldn't you build on it?

View attachment 601090View attachment 601091

Wow. Looking at the topography really tells you what anyone would need to know about how the river has flowed into Cypress creek/Edmundson Creek over the course of it's lifetime. And people unknowingly or even knowingly built in the area where the river had, at some point in it's life, cut the flat area leaving the higher ground surrounding that flat area. I am reminded of an area near where I live that floods when we get heavy rains for many days and all the businesses there flood. And that is because it was built in a "dry" river bed. They knew it was a river bed, bit it had been "dry" for X years.

River bed. It kind of means something.

 

[borndem]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

This is so huge and horrible.
Prayers for strength to all who were hurt and for all who died.

 

[legomonster]

"I wonder if we will see civil suits."
With how well-heeled the campers' families are, you can bet on it. I'm sure the lawyers are already lining up.

ETA I'm sure land speculators are also lining up.

Land speculators? After that flash flooding event in that flood prone area after the prolonged drought? They will be lucky if they are ever able to rebuild, I am interested to see what insurers stay or if they will offer any coverage. I don't know how they will honestly be able to rebuild imo.

 

[jesse]

Several years ago, Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million construction project. But instead of using that project to move at-risk cabins to higher ground, the camp built new cabins inside the 100-year flood zone.

Camp Mystic Cabins Stood in an ‘Extremely Hazardous’ Floodway

An analysis of flood maps shows that several buildings, including those where children were sleeping, were in known hazard zones. A $5 million expansion in 2019 did nothing to alleviate the problem.

www.nytimes.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1943311162277540115

How the hell did they get permits to do that??