Camp Mystic, where 27 died in catastrophic Texas floods, files for bankruptcy

Camp Mystic’s owner filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, nearly a year after catastrophic floods in Texas Hill Country killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors.

In a court filing, the operators of the all-girls Christian summer camp said its total debts were in the range of $10 million to $50 million. The filing in the Southern District of Texas said the camp’s total assets were between $1 million and $10 million.

Camp Mystic’s owners and operators have faced intense scrutiny over their response to last year’s devastating July 4 floods. In a scathing report released earlier this month, state investigators faulted the camp for inadequate advance emergency planning, storm preparation, evacuations and incident management.

“The lessons to be learned from the camp’s inadequate emergency planning and response are worthy of careful study for opportunities to avoid similar future tragedies,” the authors said in an introduction to the 115-page report.

The report said the hectic task of evacuating the camp fell on the shoulders of just three men: the camp’s owner, his son and a security guard. The Guadalupe River, which runs along the camp, peaked at more than 37 feet at the height of the floods.

In late April, Camp Mystic officials withdrew their application to reopen this summer. The move came a day after an emotionally charged legislative hearing attended by deceased girls’ parents.

In a statement at the time, Camp Mystic acknowledged that “precious lives were lost.” It said the withdrawal of the application was meant to remove any doubt that its leaders have “heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate investigating committees, and citizens across our state.”

“Respect for those voices requires that we step back now,” camp officials added.

Wednesday’s eight-page bankruptcy filing was signed by four members of the Eastland family that owns Camp Mystic. The court document does not contain detailed information about the camp’s finances.