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A Texas district judge ordered Camp Mystic to preserve flood-damaged cabins and other parts of the summer camp after last year’s catastrophic floods that swept away and killed 25 girls and two counselors. The order followed a lawsuit by the family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away in the flood on July 4 and whose body has not been recovered.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said Camp Mystic’s owners must not alter or demolish the cabins where campers were housed during the floods, and the judge also ordered the camp to stop using the portion of the grounds closest to the Guadalupe River where those cabins were located. The judge’s ruling required the camp to halt any construction or alterations, after the family argued that changes at the site could destroy evidence needed for their case.
Will Steward, Cile’s father, told reporters after the hearing that the family’s goal was to preserve what remains at the camp so it can be examined in the lawsuit and help prevent similar deaths. He framed the order as a way to preserve evidence for understanding “so that future campers will never be put in a situation like this again.”
The floods struck the camp before dawn on July 4, when fast-rising floodwaters moved through a low-lying area. The camp, which was established in 1926, did not evacuate, and the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes, according to the allegations and testimony presented in court.
Camp Mystic’s legal response included arguments that it had limited ability to respond once the flood accelerated. Attorney Mikal Watts, who represented Camp Mystic and its owners, told the courtroom that he believed there was little the camp could have done, and he warned that trying to move groups of 8-year-olds on buses would not have prevented drowning.
In the packed courtroom during the Wednesday hearing, family members wore buttons with images of the deceased girls. According to testimony and exhibits described in court, lawyers for Camp Mystic displayed pictures of trees planted in memory of the victims and architectural renderings showing plans to rebuild parts of the camp outside what they described as a 1,000-year flood zone.
The case also included testimony from Edward Eastland, the son of camp owner Richard Eastland, who died in the flooding. Eastland testified that his mother, his wife and their children, as well as another staff member, were at a camp house when floodwaters “broke open” the double doors of the house; he said the group had to break out a separate window and evacuate to higher ground, and that they survived.
Eastland testified about the camp’s security cameras and flood response. He said the camp had security cameras around the campus, but that no one was watching the live feed as the waters rose, and he said that when he tried to pull it up about 3 a.m., he was unable to.
When families addressed their concerns about future operations, Will and Cici Steward said they do not believe the camp has adequate safety measures in place to welcome new campers while their search for their daughter continues. Cici Steward told the court that the camp did not have a plan and did not have a plan moving forward, arguing that reopening plans were not ready to address flood safety.
The lawsuit is part of a broader controversy around the camp’s decisions ahead of last year’s disaster. Last year, Camp Mystic partially reopened and decided to build a memorial on the grounds, drawing outrage from families who said they were not consulted on those plans.
Texas’ lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, has asked state regulators not to renew Camp Mystic’s license while the deaths are being investigated, pointing to legislative probes expected to begin in the spring, according to the reporting. Camp Mystic is still seeking approval for a license to operate this summer, and the judge’s order adds another constraint as litigation continues over what the camp should have done as floodwaters approached.