AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas judge on Wednesday declined to fully close Camp Mystic — the tragic epicenter of the July 4 floods that inundated the Texas Hill Country last year — but prevented the part of the camp where the deadly flooding occurred from being altered.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble heard evidence in a packed Travis County courtroom on a temporary restraining order and injunction request filed by Will and CiCi Steward, the parents of 8-year-old Cecilia “Cile” Steward, a camper who died in the flooding.
Gamble granted a temporary injunction barring the all-girls 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 grounds, where the fatal flooding occurred, be sealed off, including the commissary, rec hall and main office. However, areas outside of those grounds can proceed with construction.
Twenty-five girls, two counselors and Camp Mystic’s owner were killed in the historic flooding in Kerr County that swamped the camp. Cile’s body has not been recovered.
Over 130 people in the region died in the catastrophe.
The Stewards, who filed a lawsuit against the owners of the camp and the restraining order last month, had asked that Camp Mystic not reopen this summer to campers and that construction and remodeling be halted to preserve evidence at the site.
In their filing, the Stewards argued remodeling and construction is already underway, even as the search for their daughter’s body is ongoing.
“This application for injunctive relief seeks to preserve the status quo and protect material evidence bearing on how and why Cile Steward lost her life while entrusted to Defendants’ care,” their filing said.
Gamble’s ruling will be in place while the couple’s lawsuit is pending.
Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court room was packed Wednesday with family members of victims.
Edward Eastland, director of the Guadalupe camp at the time, testified as a witness for the defense. He told the that court some buildings have since been repaired and remodeled.
Questioned about the tragedy, he said the children didn’t have walkie talkies in their cabins, and said the camp had security cameras but no one was watching the feed in the middle of the night when the flooding began.
Brad Beckworth, the attorney for the Stewards, said following the hearing: “Our application for a restraining order was granted in its entirety.”
“The only limitation at all to it is how we’re going to deal with commercial activity on the other side of the camp,” he continued. “But to be clear, what the court has ruled is that the Guadalupe River side of Camp Mystic will not be reopening any time soon until we get through the right evidentiary process towards 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 there so we can understand, so future campers will never be put in a situation like this again.”
Mikal Watts, attorney representing Camp Mystic and the Eastland family, which owns the camp, said he was “thrilled” with the judge’s decision.
“She agreed that the evidence of the Guadalupe River should be preserved, just like we offered to … Part of what we’re doing is working tonight on the structural separation to keep kids away from Guadalupe River while they’re attending camp this summer at Cypress Lake. We agreed to do that,” he said.
Watts said there are 853 campers as of yesterday signed up to attend this summer at Mystic’s Cypress Lake location, which it has described as independent from the older Guadalupe camp.
In announcing its reopening plans in December, Camp Mystic said it has taken steps to enhance safety including installing flood monitoring units.
Last week, families of nine victims of the Camp Mystic floods sued the state, claiming it failed to enforce a requirement that the camp have an evacuation plan.
Also last week, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter urging the Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner to deny the camp a license to operate until “all legislative investigations are complete and any necessary corrective actions are taken.”
In response to Patrick’s letter, Camp Mystic said last week that its Cypress Lake location is “in compliance with all aspects of the state’s new camp safety laws.” It noted that the Cypress Lake site is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and “sustained no significant damage from the historic flood on July 4.”