When rain began to pour in central Texas on July 4, 2025, the tents at Camp Mystic were filled with sleeping campers. More than 10 inches of rain drenched the area, causing the Guadalupe River to rise to 23.4 feet by 4:30 a.m. The young counselors and staff did their best to save as many campers as they could. Tragically, 27 people lost their lives in the devastating floods. Now, nearly a year later, the camp’s future hangs in the balance.
Camp Mystic turned into a nightmare for many families.
Jennifer Getten’s daughters, Ellen, 9, and Gwynne, 12, attended Camp Mystic last July. Gwynne survived, but Ellen perished in the flood. As rumors swirl that the camp hopes to reopen this summer, Getten’s heart continues to break.
“For them to think they can just take on hundreds more children before we even know completely everything that happened is just unbelievable,” Getten told the New York Post.
Gwynne reportedly heard kids talking about Camp Mystic at school, and it instantly horrified the young girl. “She screamed, ‘They can’t reopen! They can’t reopen!” her mother said.
Gwynne tried to save her sister.
Getten said that as Gwynne’s cabin was evacuated, the loving older sister wanted to help Ellen. Staff allegedly told her she could not wait.
“She was put into a building that was almost 100 years old, and it was swaying in the rain,” Getten recalled to the Post. “When we got reunited with her, she got helicoptered out of there still not knowing where her sister was.”
Getten added that reuniting with Gwynne and not knowing where Ellen was devastated her. “She collapsed to the ground screaming that she doesn’t want to be an only child and where is her sister,” Getten shared.
Camp Mystic reportedly has hundreds of campers planning to return in the summer of 2026.
ALERT: Director of Texas summer camp, where 24 young girls died during a 4th of July flood, seen crying on the stand during trial.
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) April 15, 2026
Camp Mystic is an all-girls camp in Hunt, Texas, along the Guadalupe River.
On July 4th last year, a flash flood killed 24 campers, 2 counselors,… pic.twitter.com/bPet0q8xI1
Per the Post, 900 campers reportedly have registered for Camp Mystic this summer. Families of victims hope to stop the camp from ever opening again. During a recent hearing, Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble barred Camp Mystic staff from making any changes or renovations to the site, CNN reported.
The family of Cile Steward, an 8-year-old camper whose body remains missing, filed a wrongful death suit against Camp Mystic. They argued that making any changes could hinder their ability to find Cile.
The family’s attorney, Brad Beckworth, made a damning statement about Camp Mystic in court.
“Whether it is hubris, greed, grief, or just an overwhelming combination of all of those, they have this unmitigated desire to reopen this camp in a few weeks, and come hell or high water, they’re going to do it,” Beckworth said.
Getten wants the public to know everything that happened at Camp Mystic.
Getten told the Post that what she heard in court made her sick.
“I think it’s extremely irresponsible to open a camp with little girls when there are numerous investigations going on,” she explained. “From everything we heard the last few days, it’s extremely disturbing they want to take care of children right now without finding out what happened.
“People need to know everything that transpired before they think about it,” she added, per the Post.
In total, 25 campers, a staff member, and owner Dick Eastland died in the flood. Perhaps the camp could reopen years, maybe even decades from now, but there is such a thing as too soon. And with one child still missing, the summer of 2026 is no time for a grand reopening.
