Young girls, including 7-year-olds, woke up to the horrifying sight of floodwaters ruinings their cherished Camp Mystic. Details on the devastating event that resulted in loss of life.
On the Fourth of July, 2025, a sudden and devastating flash flood hit **Camp Mystic**, a Christian summer camp located in Kerr County, Texas, along the Guadalupe River. The flood occurred after heavy rains saturated the Texas Hill Country, causing the river to rise rapidly.
The storm began with thunder and lightning around 1 a.m., initially causing campers to believe it was a typical rainstorm. However, within an hour, they realized the severity when other cabins were flooded. By 7 a.m., the campers witnessed widespread destruction.
At least **27 campers and counselors** lost their lives in the flooding. As of the latest reports, ten campers and one counselor remain unaccounted for, with ongoing search and rescue operations.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp with approximately 750 campers, started evacuating about 45 minutes after receiving a flash flood alert. The camp praised the support from the community and asked for prayers for the affected families.
The flood affected Kerr County significantly, with Camp Mystic being one of the hardest-hit locations. The broader flooding across Texas' Hill Country resulted in over **132 deaths**, with Kerr County reporting the highest number of fatalities.
During the flood, camp owner Dick Eastland and his son, Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors, instructed the girls at Bug House cabin to quickly grab pillows and blankets and evacuate to the recreation hall. At Bug House cabin, counselor Laney Owens was awakened by water puddling on the floor.
At Chatterbox cabin, the counselors told the campers to climb out of the window, one by one, as a car they thought would be rescuing them floated away. The flooding at Camp Mystic became dangerous, and staff started evacuating cabins. The campers' next stop was the Cypress Lake dining hall, where they stayed for five hours doing arts and crafts and trying to sleep.
One of the twins described the water as being very high during the flood. At the recreation hall, the campers did a roll call, which made them realize some of their friends could be lost in the waters. Fears grew that the death toll of 110 in the Texas floods could still surge as hopes fade of finding survivors among the many reported still missing several days after the disaster.
The severity of the flooding only became clear when another counselor came to Cutrona's hilltop cabin on Cypress Lake and told the campers they were going to play a game: They needed to hand the counselor one pair of shorts, one top, and a pair of underwear as quickly as they could.
The aftermath of the flood has led to ongoing investigations into how the camp's leadership handled the emergency, including questions about whether the director received and responded to flood warnings in a timely manner. Hundreds of local, state, and federal crews began the extensive search for the missing campers and counselors that afternoon.
Mourners held a vigil honoring the victims of the flood, singing "From the lake, from the hills, from the sky; all is well, safely rest, God is nigh. Goodnight, Camp Mystic, we love you." The tragedy at Camp Mystic serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable power of nature and the importance of preparedness in the face of natural disasters.
General news outlets reported that the flood-damaged Camp Mystic, in Kerr County, Texas, has also become a hotspot for car accidents due to the poorly maintained roads. A fire department spokesperson mentioned that firefighters have been struggling to access flooded areas due to frequent wet weather conditions.
