Camp Mystic, Texas and floods
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Dick Eastland, the Camp Mystic owner who pushed for flood alerts on the Guadalupe River, was killed in last week’s deadly surge.
The data also highlights critical risks in other areas along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, and nationwide as many Americans have a flood risk they are not aware of.
Satellite images show the damage left behind after floodwaters rushed through Camp Mystic, Camp La Junta and other summer camps on July 4.
Young girls, camp employees and vacationers are among the at least 120 people who died when Texas' Guadalupe River flooded.
Richard "Dick" Eastland, the late owner of Camp Mystic who died in last week's flooding, was aware of the dangers of the Guadalupe River and previously advocated for change in warning systems.
Torrential rains pounded Central Texas on Friday, dropping more than 10 inches of rain and causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet, flooding Camp Mystic and nearby areas in Kerr County. By Saturday morning, it was confirmed that Dick Eastland, 70, had died. News of his death quickly spread across generations of Camp Mystic alumni.
Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic's emergency plan just two days before the devastating flood killed more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children.
Texas has identified more than $50 billion in flood control needs, but lawmakers have devoted just $1.4 billion to address them