Overview

• Family spokesman Jeff Carr now says it is unclear if Camp Mystic owner Richard Eastland ever saw the flash flood alert issued at 1:14 a.m. on July 4.
• Spotty cell coverage and delayed CodeRed approvals forced reliance on Wi-Fi and walkie-talkies during an evacuation that began over an hour after the initial warning.
• Federal and state inquiries are examining the camp’s emergency plans, communication protocols and leadership decisions in the flood that claimed 27 campers and counselors.
• Outdated river gauges and FEMA flood-plain maps—amended in 2013 to remove several camp buildings—hampered accurate risk assessments before the surge on the Guadalupe River.
• Local officials and Rice University experts are advocating installation of outdoor sirens, expanded sensor networks and automated alert systems to strengthen early warnings in rural areas.