Camp Mystic leader, who died trying to save small children, waited over an hour after alert before starting evacuation

The adult leader of Camp Mystic, the Texas summer camp where 27 children and counselors died in the Hill Country floods, waited more than an hour after receiving a severe flood warning before initiating an evacuation, it was disclosed on Monday.

Richard “Dick” Eastland, who had run the popular all-girls, Christian-values sleepaway camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River with his family since the 1980s, was among the fatalities after a wall of water rushed through the camp early on 4 July.

A spokesperson for the Eastland family told the Washington Post that a National Weather Service (NWS) alert was sent to his phone at 1.14am warning of “life threatening flash flooding”, and only at 2.30am, with heavy rain still falling and the river level rising fast, he made the decision to begin evacuations.

  • themadcodger@kbin.earth
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    4 days ago

    Saw an article the other day about how Texas is the most disaster prone state, while simultaneously being the most against any sort of disaster preparedness.

    Dumbfucks.

    • aramis87@fedia.io
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      4 days ago

      I’d say the big three are California (fire, potential earthquakes), Florida (hurricanes with tidal surge), and Texas. But as you say, Texas is the one that refuses to do anything to mitigate their risks, even those of their own making - and it does seem that so many of the disasters Texas has are massively exacerbated by their refusal to mitigate risks.

      A friend of mine suggested that Texas’ nickname should be “The One Star State”.