According to multiple reports, the parents of nine campers and counselors who died in the deadly Camp Mystic flooding last summer have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Texas health officials continued with the camp despite safety violations required under state law.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court, and it claims that the agency licensed Camp Mystic despite the camp’s failure to maintain a written evacuation plan, which is a requirement under Texas law for youth camps. Instead, according to the lawsuit, the camp’s emergency instructions directed campers to remain inside cabins during flooding, including cabins located in designated flood zones along the Guadalupe River.
Floodwaters swept through the camp, and 27 campers and counselors were killed.
In a statement, attorney Paul Yetter said, “The officials responsible for licensing youth camps deliberately looked the other way. State law requires evacuation plans, and Camp Mystic did not have one.”
Camp Mystic’s license has not been revoked and is still valid through March 6, 2026. The camp has already announced that it plans to reopen this summer.
Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP / Getty Images