Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp located along the Guadalupe River, received multiple exemptions from federal flood map regulations despite being classified in a Special Flood Hazard Area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's designation required flood insurance and stricter oversight on construction. Tragically, severe floods overwhelmed the camp and led to the loss of at least 27 campers and counselors on July 4. Experts criticized the lack of proactive measures taken by regulators and the camp to mitigate such risks, emphasizing the unexpected severity of the flood compared to FEMA predictions.
Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency included the prestigious girls' summer camp in a Special Flood Hazard Area in its National Flood Insurance map for Kerr County in 2011.
Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors when floodwaters tore through its property before dawn on July 4.
Experts noted that the flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by FEMA and moved so quickly in the night that it caught many off guard.
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