The leaders of the Texas House and Senate say they’ve created committees that will meet jointly and “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” during the deadly July 4 flooding in Central Texas that killed at least 136 people, including 25 girls and two counselors at Camp Mystic.
Senate leader Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said they appointed five members each to the joint Senate and House General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 Flooding Events.
Burrows said the committee will work to understand what went wrong and ensure the state is better prepared for future emergencies.
“While progress was made during the second special session to bolster Texans’ safety, the magnitude of this tragedy demands a comprehensive and thorough review,” Burrows said. “The House investigating committee will work alongside our Senate partners to examine the contributing factors to the devastation at Camp Mystic and identify ways to strengthen the state’s preparedness and response to flooding and other natural disasters.”
Patrick said the committee will “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” and that the committee’s task “is to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the July flooding, including actions taken at youth summer camps.”
“The families who lost their precious daughters deserve answers, as do all Texans, on exactly what happened on July 4,” Patrick said.
The lieutenant governor said he was “shocked to see Camp Mystic begin signing up campers for next year with so many questions unanswered about what happened that fateful morning.” He said camp representatives have not yet “spoken publicly on the record as to what happened that morning” and that they would be invited to testify before the committee.
Camp Mystic said Tuesday they looked forward to working with the select committees to help people “more fully understand the facts of what happened.”
“We are grateful to Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Burrows for their continued leadership and their efforts to ensure that tragic losses such as those that occurred on July 4 will never happen again,” a representative for Camp Mystic said.
Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A building from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp next to the river, loses its front wall from the flood on July 4, 2025.
The following members have been appointed to the Senate and House General Investigating Committee on the July 2025 Flooding Events:
The Senate members are Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, Chair; Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, Vice Chair; Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Tyler; Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio.
The House members are Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-University Park, Chair; Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, Vice Chair; Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo; Rep. Paul Dyson, R-Bryan and Rep. Erin Gamez, D-Brownsville.
As of this writing, the committees have not yet scheduled any hearings.