Texas lawmakers hear emotional testimony on Camp Mystic failures during deadly July floods

Texas lawmakers on Monday held their first public hearing into last summer's Fourth of July floods that killed more than 100 people across the Hill Country, including 27 girls at Camp Mystic.

Testimony shared in recent weeks included Mary Liz Eastland, a member of the family that owns and operates the camp, who was also the camp's medical officer. She testified that she still has not officially reported the deaths to the state health agency that regulates camps and is reviewing its application to reopen this summer. She was questioned in a legal fight between the camp operators and families of victims who have filed lawsuits and want the camp to preserve damaged areas as evidence.

A recent evidentiary hearing in the lawsuit against the camp's owners ended with emotional testimony after producing the most extensive details from camp operators of what happened in the flood, including missed chances to prepare for the storm, and the delayed decisions to evacuate. Members of the Eastland family, who run and direct the camp, were grilled about their actions that night last July.

Edward Eastland, Camp Mystic's director, said he did not see early federal and state warnings issued the day before the storm hit, and that staff had no meetings about the pending danger.

In March 2026, a judge ordered the camp to preserve damaged areas of the camp's grounds as evidence in the lawsuits filed by the families of the victims.

Texas lawmakers open hearing into deadly Camp Mystic flooding  

General Investigating Committee Chairman Sen. Pete Flores said at the outset of the hearing that lawmakers have an obligation to determine what went wrong and ensure the same failures do not happen again. He said the tragedy was preventable — a sentiment echoed by other lawmakers throughout the hearing.

The first witness was Casey Garrett, the state's lead investigator assigned to examine what happened at Camp Mystic, a longtime all-girls summer camp located in Kerr County.

State investigator describes "complacent flood culture" at Camp Mystic  

Garrett testified that despite well-documented major flood events at the camp dating back to 1932, Camp Mystic operated within what she described as a "complacent flood culture."

She outlined numerous safety shortcomings, including cabins without cell phones or radios, fewer counselors assigned per cabin than in previous years, and the absence of a formal evacuation plan. Garrett also told lawmakers that counselors consistently reported receiving no emergency training or drills for flooding scenarios.

"There was not a single person that said they were given any information," Garrett testified. "I mean, you look at what we do in schools, and have been doing for years with tornado drills and fire drills and active shooter drills. I mean, that's just unthinkable that these girls would have no training."

Garrett presented the committee with a detailed minute-by-minute, cabin-by-cabin timeline showing what happened as water levels rose rapidly.

She described what she called "frantic and haphazard" attempts to move campers to safety as conditions deteriorated. Using photographs and investigative findings, Garrett told lawmakers the stories of all 27 girls who died during the flooding.

Among them was 10-year-old Greta Toranzo.

Garrett told the committee that during a hurried evacuation toward higher ground, Toranzo briefly turned back toward her cabin to retrieve a sheet. As she did, she became separated from her group.

"And as she backtracked, she got away from the group, and one of the little campers told me, 'I saw her, and then I didn't,'" Garrett testified.

Survivors recall being swept away as flood waters engulfed cabins  

Garrett also detailed accounts from girls who survived the flood, some of whom were swept miles downstream. She told lawmakers several of those survivors later told their parents they believed they were going to die.

Lawmakers listened to audio recordings of two survivors describing to investigators how they were pulled into the rushing water after falling from a cabin window.

During questioning later in the afternoon, lawmakers repeatedly returned to the same issue: that after flood warnings were issued shortly after 1 a.m., there were multiple opportunities to move campers to higher ground — but those chances were missed largely due to the lack of protocols at the camp.

The hearing continues Tuesday, with additional witnesses expected to testify as lawmakers work toward recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future.