Months after a flash flood killed over two dozen campers and counselors, Camp Mystic is installing new high-tech river monitors and safety upgrades — as families push for accountability and lawsuits continue.  

The camp announced on Tuesday that it is installing four new flood warning river monitors after the deadly July 4th flood in Kerr County.

The four new, state-of-the-art monitors will be installed at the Cypress Lake camp location. The camp said it is collaborating with other camps and property owners to install 100 monitors along the south and north forks of the Guadalupe River and other tributaries.

The camp's owners announced plans in September to reopen the Cypress Lake location, which is separate from the part of the camp that flooded in July, killing 25 girls and two counselors. The camp also said it will build a memorial to the girls who died in the flooding.

"We are preparing for next summer at Camp Mystic Cypress Lake and we know that safety is of the utmost concern to all of you, as it is for us," the camp said in a letter. "We thank the Heaven's 27 families and our state leaders for passing legislation to help make camps safer, and it is our goal not only to be in compliance with the new camp safety laws, but to exceed their requirements."

The camp said that the system will provide early detection of high-water events, "as it communicates for miles with other sensors using LoRaWAN technology, allowing campers, counselors and staff to respond and quickly and safely evacuate to an elevated muster station." 

Camp Mystic said the monitors are in addition to the ones that will be installed by the State of Texas after the passing of Senate Bill 3.

Parents successfully pushed for new campground safety laws

Camp Mystic parents successfully pushed for Texas to pass bills aimed at preventing similar tragedies. The measures aim to improve the safety of children's camps by prohibiting cabins in dangerous parts of flood zones and requiring camp operators to develop detailed emergency plans, to train workers and to install and maintain emergency warning systems. One allocates $240 million from the state's rainy day fund for disaster relief, along with money for warning sirens and improved weather forecasting.  

"Heaven's 27":Families sue Camp Mystic over deadly July Fourth flash flood, allege gross negligence

The families of several campers and counselors who died in the July Fourth flash flood at Camp Mystic have filed lawsuits accusing the Hill Country camp and its owners of gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety.  

Located along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, the camp has long operated in an area known as "Flash Flood Alley," the lawsuit claims.  

Jeff Ray, the legal counsel for Camp Mystic, released the following statement:

"We empathize with the families of the campers and counselors and all families in the Hill Country who lost loved ones in the horrific and unprecedented flood of July 4.  We intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and that no adequate warning systems existed in the area. We disagree with several accusations and misinformation in the legal filings regarding the actions of Camp Mystic and Dick Eastland, who lost his life as well. We will thoroughly respond to these accusations in due course."