CAMP MYSTIC FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY AFTER TEXAS FLOOD DEATHS

Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganisation nearly a year after catastrophic flooding on 4 July killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors. The camp listed its debt as exceeding £10 million in paperwork filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas in Houston. The camp reported assets in the range of £100,001 to £500,000. Camp owner Richard Eastland died in the same flood.

The flooding along the Guadalupe River killed at least 136 people across a several-mile stretch. Families of victims filed a lawsuit in November seeking more than £1 million in damages, alleging that camp operators failed to take necessary protective steps as life-threatening floodwaters approached. Court hearings and legislative investigations revealed the camp lacked detailed emergency flood planning and relied on poorly trained staff. Testimony included accounts of missed flood warning signs and the decision to leave girls in their cabins until evacuation became impossible.

The bankruptcy filing followed the camp's decision in April to halt planned reopening for nearly 900 campers. The reversal came after weeks of public hearings attended by victims' families and amid opposition from lawmakers. Before cancelling reopening plans, Camp Mystic had invited journalists and lawmakers to review safety improvements and promised that camp activities would not occur in the low-lying area devastated by the flood. The Eastland family had stressed that hundreds of families wished to return to the camp.