Camp Mystic Director Testifies in Court on Flood Warnings and Camp Operations

Court Testimony on Deadly 2025 Flood Edward Eastland, director of Camp Mystic, testified for several hours on Monday in a courtroom packed with families of the girls who were killed in a July 4, 2025, flood at the all-girls Christian camp.

The flood on the banks of the Guadalupe River killed 27 campers and counselors, including 25 campers, two teenage counselors, and co-owner Richard Eastland. Groups returned to court on Monday for further testimony about the camp and events before and during the flood.

Eastland testified about preserving damaged areas of the camp's grounds as evidence, following a judge's order last month to do so.

Camp operators appealed the judge's order to preserve damaged areas. Several lawsuits were filed by families of the flood victims against the camp, with Brad Beckworth representing families who have sued Camp Mystic. The flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River.

Storms hit overnight on July 3-4, 2025. Families of several girls who died sued the camp’s operators.

Weather Monitoring and Alerts Before the Flood Eastland and other staff were signed up for an emergency warning system on their phones.

Eastland did not see flood watch social media posts by the National Weather Service and the Texas Department of Emergency Management on July 2 and 3, as he was not following the National Weather Service and the Texas Department of Emergency Management on social media.

Eastland thought the local CodeRED mobile phone alert system and phone weather apps were enough. A July 3 National Weather Service alert asked area broadcasters to note that locally heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding in rivers, creeks, streams, and low-lying areas.

Rivers, creeks, streams, and low-lying areas are features of the Camp Mystic property. Camp staff did not hold a meeting about the alerts and warnings on July 3. Richard Eastland is the co-owner of the camp and typically monitored weather issues, according to Edward Eastland.

Events During the Night of the Flood A video of 'Taps' was played over loudspeakers when campers went to bed at 10 p.

m. on July 3. Loudspeakers were not used to issue a weather warning, Eastland stated. m. on July 3. m. on July 4 to report hard rain and the need to move canoes and water equipment off the river front.

m. on July 4. m. on July 4 specific to his area. m. on July 4 warned of a flood event that could last several hours. Cellphones were not allowed in the cabins at Camp Mystic. Only some staff carried walkie-talkies for communication.

A counselor signed a statement saying she woke up during the storm, saw girls running for shelter, and that the water was rising faster than anything she had ever witnessed.

Efforts to Reopen and Ongoing Investigations Camp operators applied for a state license to reopen Camp Mystic this summer on a part of the campus that did not flood.

Nearly 900 campers signed up to return to Camp Mystic. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the state license to reopen the camp should be denied while state lawmakers and agencies investigate. Texas health regulators are investigating hundreds of complaints filed against the camp owners.

Texas health regulators announced the investigation last week. The Texas Rangers are helping investigate allegations of neglect according to the Texas Department of Safety.