TEXAS — Ryan DeWitt remembers his daughter Molly for her faithful, inclusive and joyful persona.
“There was a little girl in her class in kindergarten that she took under her wing from Ukraine, and they became really good buddies. And she has a passion for those who are different, those on the margins,” said DeWitt.
Molly is one of the 25 Camp Mystic campers swept away in last year’s floods on July 4 that also killed two camp counselors, the owner of the camp and hundreds of other people in Kerr County.
Lawmakers passed a camp safety bill following the flooding that requires youth camps to have state-approved emergency plans. Camp Mystic has implemented new procedures and technologies that include flood alert towers, a flood risk assessment and emergency drills within 48 hours of camper arrival.
State Rep. Wes Virdell, R-Brady, thinks it’s safe for the camp to reopen.
“They operated off of what had been known for 60 to 100 years of how the river worked there. And, you know, unfortunately they were caught in a flood that nobody had ever seen,” said Virdell. “I think that while they were prepared then, I think they’re even better prepared now.”
Camp Mystic wants to open its Cypress Lake location that didn’t flood last year. The camp submitted a license application to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked the agency not to renew the Camp Mystic license until the deaths are investigated and any necessary corrective actions are taken to ensure this never happens again.
“No one’s trying to put Camp Mystic out of camp forever. We’re just saying don’t renew it now and let the process play out so that the families can have peace and get answers,” said Patrick.
DeWitt wants to see new camp leadership, and the families of Heaven’s 27 want both camp locations to remain closed until a missing camper is located.
“Cile Steward has not been found. And it is incredibly insensitive for them to continue to move forward,” said DeWitt.
The camp said its decision to reopen is informed by its faith and from the “strong interest from families who wish to provide their daughters with a Christian camping experience.”
DeWitt said that even if he hadn’t lost a daughter, he wouldn’t send his child there.
“There is no chance I would entrust that family with the safety of my most precious asset,” he said.
The state told Spectrum News 1 that after the application materials are reviewed, including the emergency plan, a pre-licensure inspection is conducted and the process is expected to take several weeks.