Judge declines to shut down Camp Mystic as lawsuit over deadly flood moves forward

A Texas judge on Wednesday declined to order the closure of Camp Mystic, the all‑girls youth camp where 25 girls and two counselors were killed in catastrophic floods last year.

District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble did order the camp's owners not to alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods and to avoid using the portion of the property closest to the Guadalupe River. A lawsuit filed by one of the girls' families remains pending.

The family of 8‑year‑old Cile Steward – who was swept away in the flood and whose body has not been recovered – had asked the judge to prevent the owners from reopening the facility and to halt any construction while the case proceeds. Their request for a temporary injunction argued that any changes at the camp could destroy evidence needed for their lawsuit.

The campers and counselors were killed when fast‑rising floodwaters roared through a low‑lying area of the camp before dawn on July 4. The flooding killed at least 136 people across the region, raising questions about how the disaster unfolded.

Floodwaters rose with little warning

Camp Mystic, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet to 29.5 feet within 60 minutes.

"The worst thing you can do is put a bunch of 8‑year‑olds on a bus and try to drive them out of there. They all would have drowned," said Mikal Watts, an attorney for Camp Mystic and its family of owners.

Families pack courtroom

In a packed courtroom on Wednesday, family members of the deceased girls wore buttons with their images as lawyers for Camp Mystic displayed photos of trees planted in their memory and architectural renderings of plans to rebuild parts of the camp outside a 1,000‑year flood zone.

Attorneys for the camp expressed sympathy but argued there was little they could have done during the catastrophic flooding. Photos of the rising waters were shown in court.

"Nobody had ever seen a prior flood anything like we saw in 2025," Watts said. He added that more than 850 campers have already signed up for this summer.

Camp owner's son describes escape

Edward Eastland, the son of camp owner Richard Eastland – who died in the flooding – testified that his mother, wife, children and another staff member were inside a camp house when "the double doors of the house broke open" from the force of the water. They escaped through a separate window and reached higher ground.

Eastland said the camp had security cameras, but no one was watching the live feed in the middle of the night. When he tried to pull it up around 3 a.m., he was unable to.

Reopening plans spark backlash

The camp's decision last year to partially reopen and build a memorial on the grounds drew outrage from many families, who said they were not consulted.

"We call on Camp Mystic to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials," CiCi and Will Steward wrote to camp officials after the announcement.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked state regulators not to renew the camp's license while investigations continue and legislative probes are expected this spring.

Lawsuits continue

Families of several girls who died have sued the camp's operators, arguing officials failed to take necessary steps to protect campers as life‑threatening floodwaters approached.