Patrick Marsh sat in the corner of the Bubble Inn cabin at Camp Mystic, where his eight-year-old daughter Sarah’s bunk had been. The view out the window landed like a gut punch. Safety from the rising floodwater that took her life would have been just a short walk away, he said. “From where Sarah slept to high ground where she would have been safe — 50 yards. All they had to do was walk up a hill,” Marsh said.
Sarah Marsh of Birmingham, Alabama, was one of 27 campers and counselors swept to their deaths when floodwaters engulfed cabins at the Texas camp on July 4, 2025. Grieving parents pushed Texas lawmakers to approve new safety requirements for camps, including mandating detailed emergency plans and warning systems. Now Sarah’s parents are urging lawmakers in Alabama and elsewhere to tighten regulations. Similar bills have also been filed in Missouri.
The Alabama bill, named the Sarah Marsh Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, will require camps to meet safety standards, including obtaining an emergency preparedness license from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and establishing emergency and evacuation plans. It would prohibit cabins from being located in floodplains. Camps would be required to have weather radios and a notification system that does not rely on cellular or internet service, which could fail in a natural disaster.
“The flood itself was an act of God, and there’s nothing you can do to stop the flood. But how you prepare for the possibility of flooding, how you handle it in the moment, those things were handled so poorly,” Patrick Marsh said. Had they been done properly, he believes, “Sarah would be sitting in school right now.” As they examined camp regulations, the Marshes said they were shocked by how little oversight exists compared with schools and other institutions responsible for children’s safety.
“It was a big surprise, both in Texas and here, to see how little is required and is just self-regulated,” Sarah’s mother, Dr. Jill Marsh, said. The couple said camp safety laws must reflect regional risks — from floods and tornadoes to wildfires and hurricanes — rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. Jill Marsh spoke to the House State Government Committee on Wednesday, saying she wants Sarah to be remembered for her “incredible, beautiful life,” not just her death. The committee advanced the bill, which is backed by Governor Kay Ivey, to the full House of Representatives.
Rep. David Faulkner, the bill’s sponsor, said the Camp Mystic tragedy exposed gaps in the safety system. “These gaps exist not only in Texas, but in Alabama and across the country,” Faulkner said. The Marshes say the goal is not to shut down camps or burden those already operating responsibly. “We are not anti-camp,” Patrick Marsh said. “We want kids to go to camp and have these experiences. We just want them to be safe.” They said many camps already meet the proposed standards, and stronger oversight could save other families from the same loss.
