The director of Camp Mystic, the Texas summer camp where 27 campers and counselors died in a 2025 flood, testified in court that he was unaware of early federal and state warnings issued the day before the storm. Director Edward Eastland confirmed that no staff meetings were held about the pending danger.
Eastland testified in a hearing about preserving damaged areas as evidence in lawsuits filed by victims' families. He stated that he and other staff were signed up for emergency alerts but did not see flood watch social media posts from the National Weather Service and Texas Department of Emergency Management on July 2 and 3. He believed the local CodeRED system and weather apps were sufficient.
The July 3 National Weather Service alert warned of flash flooding in rivers and low-lying areas, features of the camp property. Eastland said his father, co-owner Richard Eastland, typically monitored weather. No staff meeting was held about the warnings. The storms hit overnight, killing 25 campers, two teenage counselors, and Richard Eastland.
Eastland testified that he went to bed at 11 p.m. on July 3 and slept through a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. and a CodeRED alert. Lawyers for the families pressed him on a counselor's statement that she saw girls running for shelter as water rose rapidly. The flood killed at least 136 people along the river.
Families have sued camp operators, arguing they failed to protect campers. The camp's efforts to reopen have outraged families and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who said the license should be denied. Texas health regulators are investigating hundreds of complaints, and the Texas Rangers are looking into allegations of neglect.
