Texas judge declines to close Camp Mystic but bars construction on campus hit by flooding

A Texas judge refused Wednesday to completely close Camp Mystic — the tragic epicenter of the July 4 floods that inundated the Texas Hill Country last year — but blocked changes to the part of the camp where the deadly floods took place.

State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble heard testimony in a packed Travis County courtroom in a temporary restraining order and injunction filed by Will and CiCi Steward, the parents of Cecilia “Cile” Steward, 8, a camper who died in the flood.

Gamble granted a temporary injunction prohibiting the girls-only summer camp along the Guadalupe River from altering or remodeling any structure where campers were housed during the tragedy.

She also ordered that the old Guadalupe Field, where the deadly flooding occurred, be cordoned off, including the commissary, game room and main office. However, areas outside of these lands can proceed with construction.

Twenty-five girls, two counselors and the owner of Camp Mystic were killed in historic flooding in Kerr County that inundated the camp. Cile’s body has not been found.

More than 130 people died in the disaster.

The Stewards, who filed a lawsuit against the camp’s owners and sought a restraining order last month, had requested that Camp Mystic not reopen this summer to campers and that construction and renovation be halted to preserve evidence at the site.

In their filing, the stewards argued that renovation and construction are already underway, even as the search for their daughter’s body continues.

“This request for an injunction seeks to preserve the status quo and protect physical evidence relating to how and why Cile Steward lost her life while in the care of Defendants,” their filing states.

Gamble’s decision will be in effect while the trial is ongoing.

Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The courtroom was packed Wednesday with family members of the victims.

Edward Eastland, Guadalupe camp director at the time, testified as a defense witness. He told the court that some buildings had been repaired and renovated.

Asked about the tragedy, he said the children did not have walkie-talkies in their cabins and the camp was equipped with security cameras but no one was monitoring the feed in the middle of the night when the flooding began.

Brad Beckworth, the Stewards’ attorney, said after the hearing: “Our request for a restraining order has been granted in its entirety.

“The only limit is how we will manage commercial activities on the other side of the camp,” he continued. “But to be clear, what the court has decided is that the Guadalupe River side of Camp Mystic will not reopen anytime soon until we go through the proper evidentiary process before trial.”

Will Steward praised the judge’s decision, saying, “It was important to know that the judge understood and the court understood that what we’re trying to do is preserve the evidence that’s out there so that we can understand, so that future campers are never put in a situation like this again.” »

Mikal Watts, an attorney representing Camp Mystic and the Eastland family, which owns the camp, said he was “delighted” with the judge’s decision.

“She agreed that the Guadalupe River evidence should be preserved, just as we proposed. … Part of what we’re doing tonight is working on structural separation to keep the kids away from the Guadalupe River while they attend camp this summer at Cypress Lake. We agreed to do that,” he said.

Watts said 853 campers were registered as of Tuesday to attend this summer at Mystic’s Cypress Lake location, which he described as independent of the former Guadalupe Camp.

In announcing its reopening plans in December, Camp Mystic said it had taken steps to improve safety, including installing flood monitoring units.

Last week, the families of nine Camp Mystic flood victims sued the state, saying it failed to comply with a requirement that the camp have an evacuation plan.

Also last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter urging the commissioner of the state Department of Health Services to deny the camp an operating license until “all legislative investigations are completed and all necessary corrective actions are taken.”

In response to Patrick’s letter, Camp Mystic said last week that its Cypress Lake location was “compliant with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws.” He noted that the Cypress Lake site is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and “suffered no significant damage from the historic Fourth of July flood.”