Camp Mystic has confirmed the deaths of 27 children and adults amid the catastrophic flooding that hit Kerr County and surrounding areas late last week.
The camp released the following statement:
Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe river.
Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly.
We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.
We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us.
Here’s what we know about the summer camp.
Where is Camp Mystic?
Camp Mystic Guadalupe River is in Hunt — an unincorporated community in Kerr County. It’s northwest of Houston and less than two hours from San Antonio.
The camp sits on the banks of the Guadalupe River and roughly 18 miles northwest of Kerrville.
Why was Camp Mystic hit so hard?
According to its website, Camp Mystic is “located near the geographical center of Texas.” Camp Mystic’s close proximity to the Guadalupe River also left it vulnerable to flood waters.
The National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office recorded the Guadalupe River’s gauge at a 22-foot rise in about two hours. The Associated Press reported that the gauge failed after it recorded the river level at 29 and a half feet — roughly 9 meters.
What is Camp Mystic?
Camp Mystic is a private Christian girls summer camp in the Texas Hill Country. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick reports around 750 girls were at the camp when the flood hit Friday.
Established in 1926, Camp Mystic focuses on three goals every summer for those in attendance — be a better person for being at Mystic, let Mystic bring out the best in them and grow spiritually.
The private summer camp aims to “provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere in which they can develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem.” The camp hosts sessions in a two to four-week span over the course of the summer beginning in May.
Campers participate in more than 30 activities, including, but not limited to, aerobics, archery, basketball, and arts and crafts. Girls can attend the camp only after finishing the second grade.
Who owns Camp Mystic?
Agnes Stacy and her husband, Pop Stacy, purchased the camp in 1939. Agnes Stacy had close ties to the camp after sending her daughter, Anne, there and later becoming a director at the facility in 1934. Today, Agnes’ grandson Dick Eastland and his wife, Tweety Eastland, serve as executive directors of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River and Camp Mystic Cypress Lake.
The Eastland family has become the fourth generation of operators of the camp, with Dick and Tweety’s sons and daughter-in-laws serving as camp directors.
— The Houston Chronicle’s Shakari Briggs contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Camp Mystic confirms deaths of 27 campers, counselors in Texas floods