Delayed Flood Evacuation Kills 27 at Texas Camp

Richard 'Dick' Eastland, director and co-owner of Camp Mystic in Texas, received a National Weather Service flash flood alert at 1:14 a.m. on July 4 but reportedly waited 45 minutes to over an hour before starting evacuation. According to family spokesperson Jeff Carr, Eastland began communicating with staff via walkie-talkie immediately after receiving the alert, but evacuation of nearly 700 girls did not start until close to 2:00 a.m. The camp policy of confiscating phones left campers and most counselors unaware of the danger. The delayed evacuation led to the deaths of at least 27 campers and counselors, including Eastland, who died attempting rescues. Family representatives defended Eastland, noting the initial alert was not unusually urgent and did not include an evacuation order. The tragedy has prompted scrutiny of the camp's emergency preparedness and response protocols.