A month-long state investigation into the Camp Mystic flood disaster concluded the camp did not have a written evacuation plan, failed to adequately prepare for flooding, and did not evacuate campers despite opportunities to move them to safety before rising waters swept through the property.
The findings were presented on Thursday to the General Investigating Committee, which adopted the final report after examining the July 2025 flood that killed 27 campers and counselors.
The conclusions build on findings first presented to lawmakers in April, when investigators detailed a series of safety failures involving the camp’s operations.
Investigator Casey Garrett told lawmakers she conducted additional interviews with counselors and adult staff members following the April hearings, including a nurse who worked in the infirmary. Garrett said those interviews further supported findings that campers were instructed to shelter in place and that staff members were never trained on specific flood emergency procedures.
“Nobody had any idea what they needed to be doing, and so, it crippled them,” Garrett said. “It was such a tragic disservice to these people that they were starved of information.”
Among the findings in the 115-page report, investigator Michael Massengale said the absence of a written evacuation plan left Camp Mystic employees dependent on decisions made by camp director Richard Eastland.
According to the report, Eastland directed campers to shelter in place rather than move to higher ground. Eastland later died when the Chevrolet Tahoe he was driving was swept away by floodwaters. Eleven campers and two counselors also died.
Many families who lost daughters in the flood attended Thursday’s hearing in Austin.
Missy Peck, whose 8-year-old daughter Eloise Peck was among those killed, shared a statement with NBC 5 following the hearing.
“The Peck family extends our sincere gratitude to the General Investigating Committee, members of the Senate and House, and especially expert investigators Casey Garrett and Michael Massengale, along with their colleagues Heather McFarlane and Kim Parks, for their tireless efforts, professionalism, and commitment to uncovering the facts and bringing these details to light,” Peck said.
State Rep. Morgan Meyer, whose district includes the Park Cities and many of the families affected by the tragedy, said the report should serve as a roadmap for future safety improvements.
“It passes to every agency, every camp, every official and every member of this Legislature who now knows what we know,” Meyer said. “We will honor the lives lost, not with words alone, but by making certain Texas is ready the next time the water rises.”