Camp Mystic blocked from tearing down cabins where 27 died in floods — as it preps to welcome 900 new campers

A Texas judge has ordered that several damaged structures at Camp Mystic, the sleepaway camp where 27 campers and counselors died during catastrophic flooding last year, must remain untouched as legal battles continue.

The decision came Wednesday after it was revealed that the camp intends to reopen on higher ground in less than two months. Despite criticism over how the disaster was handled, about 900 girls are already registered to attend the upcoming session.

During court testimony earlier this week, Camp Mystic director Edward Eastland broke down in tears while discussing the tragedy. He said he still does not know what happened to Cecilia “Cile” Steward, the 8-year-old camper who remains missing. Eastland also acknowledged that the camp did not use a loudspeaker system to warn campers to evacuate and that staff members had not been gathered to discuss the approaching storm beforehand—steps that might have helped prevent deaths.

Children's belongings grouped outside a flood-damaged building at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas. — Children’s belongings are grouped together at Camp Mystic on July 7, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. Getty Images

“I wish we never had camp that summer,” Eastland told the court on Monday during a hearing connected to several lawsuits filed by families of the victims, including Cecilia Steward’s parents. Their wrongful death lawsuit is moving forward, with a status conference and discovery scheduled for mid-May.

According to the Steward family, their case may depend on physical evidence connected to the cabins and other structures damaged in the flooding. Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble’s injunction blocks the Eastland family, who operate the camp, from clearing or altering parts of the site while the case proceeds.

Search and recovery workers in military camouflage, orange vests, and red helmets stand in a muddy field while others in a blue raft prepare to search a flooded area. — Search and recovery workers dig through debris looking for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025. Getty Images

Brad Beckworth, an attorney representing the missing girl’s family, sharply criticized the plan to reopen the camp so soon after the disaster. He said the decision appeared driven by “hubris, greed, grief, or some combination of all of them,” adding that camp leadership seems determined to reopen within weeks regardless of the circumstances.

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