Only two days before the devastating floods at least 27 lives were collected in Camp Mystic, the Texas State Health Services Department signed the emergency plans of the Youth Camp, according to the records obtained by ABC News.
An inspection report on July 2 indicates that state inspectors indicated that the camp had emergency plans “in case of a disaster” in their place and that staff and volunteers were informed about the plans during training sessions and volunteering sessions sessions.
A woman classifies the clothes and belongings of the campers outside the Cabañas in Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, on July 8, 2025, after serious sudden floods during the weekend of the holidays of July 4.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP through Getty Images
Lara Anton, a DSHS spokeswoman, told ABC News in a statement that the camps must develop their own emergency plans, which are then evaluated by the State for adherence to the Texas Administrative Code.
“The camps are responsible for developing their own emergency plan,” said Anton. “The plans must include disaster, serious accidents, epidemic or fatality. The disaster would include floods, tornadoes, etc. The inspector verified that they had plans published for those elements in each building and that had trained personnel and volunteers on what to do.”
View of the Central Meeting space of Camp Mystic, the recreation room, surrounded by damaged structures and fallen trees along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, on July 8, 2025, after serious sudden floods during the holiday on July four.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP through Getty Images
The details of the Camp Mystic emergency plans were not included in the records published by the State. DSHS published the July 2 inspection report along with five years of youth camp reports.
The inspection report, which showed that the youth camp complied with several regulations, concluded that “there is no deficiency/violation cited or indicated within the scope of this inspection/visit.”
The youth camp had 557 campers and 108 employees among their locations in Guadalupe and Cypress Lake at the time of inspection.
