Heartbreaking Testimony Ignites Push for Texas Camp Safety Reforms After Deadly Flood
Heartbreaking Testimony Ignites Push for Texas Camp Safety Reforms After Deadly Flood
HOUSTON, TX – In an emotionally charged hearing yesterday, parents of the 27 young girls tragically killed in the Camp Mystic flash flood on July 4, 2025, delivered searing testimony before a Texas state legislative committee. Their powerful accounts of loss and preventable failures are fueling a fervent push for comprehensive new safety legislation.
The parents, united under the ‘Campaign for Camp Safety,’ appeared before the Texas Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Select Committee. They recounted the harrowing details of the disaster, which saw the Guadalupe River rise over 20 feet per hour, trapping campers and staff. Cici Williams Steward, whose 8-year-old daughter Cile remains missing, tearfully stated, “My daughter was stolen from us,” attributing the deaths to “preventable failures” rather than an unavoidable act of nature.
Families passionately urged lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1, now proposed to be renamed the “Heaven 27 Camp Safety Act.” State Senator Charles Perry, a proponent of the bill, asserted that its provisions – including mandatory emergency plans, restrictions on building in floodplains, and requirements for rooftop ladders and multiple internet connections in cabins – could have saved lives. Parents like Michael McCown, who lost his 7-year-old daughter Linnie, emphasized the shocking lack of basic emergency procedures. Carrie Hanna, mother of 8-year-old Hadley, revealed counselors were tragically told to ‘stay in place’ despite rising waters.
The testimony underscored a collective plea for accountability and reform, ensuring no other family endures such a devastating loss. The committee members, visibly moved by the parents’ raw grief and determination, assured them their voices were being heard as legislative action on youth camp safety gains urgent momentum.
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