The all-girls Christian summer camp where 27 people, most of them children, were swept away and killed by the July 4 flooding in Kerr County was just one of 13 summer camps along the Guadalupe River built on land prone to flooding.
The two Camp Mystic cabins where most of the flood victims were sleeping are in the Guadalupe River floodway, an area along waterways considered to be the most hazardous during a flood. Many of Mystic’s other buildings are located in the 100-year floodplain, considered to be less hazardous than a floodway but still prone to flooding during a severe storm.
Twelve other summer camps along the river in Kerr and Kendall counties are at least partially built on land within the 100-year floodplain, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of flood and property maps along the Guadalupe River.
“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised,” said Sarah Pralle, a Syracuse University associate professor who studies environmental policy. “We overbuild in flood zones everywhere across the country … but with camps it’s especially worrisome. You’re not just putting yourself at risk, you’re putting these children at risk who you’re supposed to be looking out for their safety.”
Five summer camps, including Mystic, have at least one-third of their camp structures located in the 100-year floodplain. That includes Heart O’ the Hills Camp in Hunt, where no campers were present but the camp’s longtime director was killed in the flooding.
Camp Capers in Waring, Camp Stewart for Boys in Hunt and Camp Waldemar in Hunt also have at least a third of their structures located in the 100-year floodplain.
The owner of Camp Waldemar, Meg Clark, testified before a legislative committee last week that all of its cabins are located on a bluff above the floodplain, allowing the camp to shelter in place until the river receded.
The Tribune analyzed Federal Emergency Management Agency maps used to determine flood risk for the National Flood Insurance Program. The maps help determine insurance rates for structures located within them and are often used by local governments to regulate new construction in the floodplain.