The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners\u2019\u00a0determination to reopen<\/a>, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those\u00a0hearings laid bare<\/a>\u00a0the camp\u2019s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the early morning hours of July Fourth.<\/p>\n The camp\u2019s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.<\/p>\n As recently as Tuesday, members of the Eastland family told state lawmakers the camp would be ready to open for business for nearly 900 campers on May 30. That swiftly changed with Thursday\u2019s announcement that the camp had withdrawn its application for a license renewal for 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cNo administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July\u2019s tragedy,\u201d Camp Mystic said in a statement.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.<\/p>\n The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who\u00a0opposed the camp\u2019s reopening<\/a>\u00a0while investigations were ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cI am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,\u201d Patrick said in a statement. \u201cGiven the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not weighed in publicly on whether the camp should reopen, noted in a statement Thursday that the result of ongoing investigations into Camp Mystic by DSHS and the Texas Rangers \u201cwill be made public as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Public hearings revealed cascading problems before and during storm<\/p>\n Several civil lawsuits have been filed against the camp and the Eastlands. The families of the victims have packed court and legislative hearings, often wearing \u201cHeaven\u2019s 27\u201d pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for \u201chelp!\u201d somewhere in the distance.<\/p>\n Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors, had offered a tearful public apology to the victims\u2019 families on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tried our hardest that night. It wasn\u2019t enough to save your daughters \u2026 I\u2019m so sorry, \u201d Eastland said, with the victims\u2019 families sitting behind him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful that no child will be placed in the Eastlands\u2019 care this summer,\u201d said Cici and Will Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile remains the only victim still missing. The hearings proved the camp was not prepared for an emergency then or now, the Stewards said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut let there be no confusion about what happened today. Camp Mystic did not withdraw its application out of grace. It withdrew because the state of Texas was about to deny it,\u201d the Stewards said.<\/p>\n The camp had seemed determined to reopen<\/p>\n Camp Mystic had been pressing hard to open in a few weeks. The camp invited journalists and lawmakers to review safety improvements at the camp, promised that no camp activities would take place in the low-lying area that was devastated and impressed that hundreds of families wanted to return, underscoring how special a place it was for generations of Texans.<\/p>\n But last week, state regulators noted nearly two dozen \u201cdeficiencies\u201d in its emergency operations plan for this year. They included problems with flood warning evacuation plans, use of an emergency warning and public address system, monitoring safety alerts and training for campers about safety. State regulators noted that hundreds of other camps were also found to be deficient as they try to meet new safety standards enacted after the flood.<\/p>\n Camp Mystic officials insisted they would made the necessary corrections and said at least 850 campers signed up to return this year. Reports that so many families were\u00a0prepared to send their daughters back<\/a>\u00a0this summer caused divisions within the close-knit community of Mystic alumni.<\/p>\n Camp director Britt Eastland told lawmakers this week he believed that the camp community would ultimately be grateful it had reopened this summer. That comment prompted several families to leave the hearing in anger.<\/p>\n Ongoing investigations into the tragedy<\/p>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777628956_606_Texas_Floods_Camp_Mystic_61635_6c6694.jpg\")
FILE \u2013 An officer prays with a family as they pick up items at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas on July 9, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ashley Landis, file)<\/p>\n