Nearly six months after a devastating flood killed 25 campers, two counselors, and camp director Richard “Dick” Eastland at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River, Texas camps are taking new safety measures.
In response to the tragedy, Texas lawmakers passed the Youth Camper Act, which requires camps to have emergency alert systems that do not rely on the internet. Camp Mystic is now installing flood sirens with River Sentry, a system developed by Ian Cunningham, a former Navy and commercial pilot.
“These will actually provide an extra layer of protection,” Cunningham said. The eight-foot-tall towers use lights and sirens triggered by rising water to alert communities up to 15 miles downstream. “The intent is to wake everybody up here and light up the egress solution, which is pointing uphill and only uphill,” he added.
Currently, four towers have been installed at Camp Mystic-Cypress Lake, six between Camp Rio Vista and Camp Sierra Vista, and six more at Camp La Junta, with plans for additional installations along the Guadalupe River.
The $750,000 project is funded by a collaboration of area camps and local donors, KXAN reported.
While the sirens are a key addition, updated evacuation and emergency plans remain essential as Camp Mystic prepares for a partial reopening this summer. Cunningham said he also plans to expand the system with personal alarms for homeowners and a mobile app that would deliver alerts triggered by the towers.
“I think as a state, we’ve been dealing with these flood tragedies for far too long. It’s just time we solve it in a good way,” Cunningham said.
