71 jock said:

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dermdoc said:

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LB12MEEN said:

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Never called her a scapegoat, but does give the impression of needing someone to blame. Which in the end does not provide any real healing.

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Real healing can only occur when the parents and families of the 27 dead girls are satisfied. This is not about the Eastlands, Camp Mystic, the Mystic supporters, lawyers, etc, People seem to have a hard time understanding who and what this really is about.

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This is such a ridiculous statement but you sure are entitled to it.

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Poot said:

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Fair enough, and I think you're probably right… even more so now that Dick is gone.

I just think "satisfied" is a very nebulous word, and that would look different to each of the 27 families.

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Waffledynamics said:

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I still think about poor Cile from time to time. What a nightmare for her family. I hope she is found one day.

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Badace52 said:

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Nombre said:

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My daughter was set to attend last summer about three weeks after the flooding. She's gone since she was first able and stayed in those same cabins. We didn't know the Eastlands before she went to camp as an 8yo and still don't know them closely, but my daughter has grown up there for the past decade in what she would consider the most perfect few weeks each summer. We had her signed up and hoped to send her back this summer as part of the healing process. I can't put myself in the shoes of parents that lost their daughters but I feel it's incorrect to villainize the Eastlands. This was a generational storm.

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What follows is an excerpt from the legal ramifications thread from this board. It has a link to the senate committee findings. I would recommend you read it. The Eastlands were not villains but they were ill prepared for the contingency of a serious flood in an area very well known for devastating and surprising flooding. Further, what preparation and planning they HAD made was not really followed on the night.

fc2112 said:

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This seems as good a place as any.

No, it wasn't a giant wall of water that no one could escape or an Act of God that no one at all could have done anything about. A simple plan to walk up to high ground could have saved 27 lives.

God bless those councilors who looked around and made the right decision on their own. The adults never helped them.

The State issued their report

https://senate.texas.gov/_assets/pdf/2026.06.18-FINAL-report-Signatures.pdf

Quote:

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AUSTIN The deaths of 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic were not inevitable, state investigators said Thursday, finding the summer camp failed to meet emergency planning requirements, train its staff or evacuate quickly despite multiple chances to prevent the tragedy.

Their findings raised additional questions about Camp Mystic and decisions of its leader, Richard "Dick" Eastland, who died in the flood after his car was swept away with as many as 13 children and counselors inside, investigators said. All died.

Amid the natural disaster, at least 39 adult staff were within reach of the children. But no one ever ordered them to help the campers, leading to a situation where for hours staff could have safely assisted in evacuations, the report said.

In a 115-page report, investigators Casey Garrett and Michael Massengale found Camp Mystic had no written emergency evacuation plans, lacked preparation for possible flood events, had ample time to evacuate and that reunification efforts and incident management were "chaotic, with traumatic effects for families," a summary of the investigators' findings said.

Garrett reiterated Thursday that the only emergency plans for flood evacuations were known to Eastland. The only written disaster plans called for children to shelter inside their cabins during emergencies.

They also provided a timeline of events indicating that while Eastland was aware of the dangers of flooding at the camp, he failed to properly heed flood warnings the National Weather Service had issued. Leadership did not inform counselors about the potential for overnight floods.

And when the water began to rise, Garrett described counselors' reactions to a scenario for which they had never been trained. Some left their campers while self-evacuating. Others called for help over walkie-talkies that were never answered.

"Some were in cars, some were walking," Garrett said. "It was total chaos."

Several of the victims' families have sued Camp Mystic, alleging the camp's owners were negligent and are liable for their children's deaths. A Texas board suspended the nursing license of Eastland's daughter-in-law Mary Liz Eastland, who served as the camp's medical director.

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If you watched the deposition, it was hard to come to any other conclusion that that which was reached by the Senate in this report. It's such a tragedy and several of these girls and their families are still not close to OK and may never be again... even some of those who survived the floods have already had issues returning to camp. I know of at least one girl whose family had to come remove her from camp during the heavy hill country rains last week.

Please keep them in your prayers... especially as the anniversary of this horror is nearly upon us.

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Mark Fairchild said:

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Thank you for bringing this to us. EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS! These fathers are the Lord's Light! Again, Thank you!!

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dermdoc said:

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mwm said:

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Amazing testimony by these three dads. I would have never made it through the interview without creating a big, big puddle.

Every day is hard but this week will be the hardest for all of the families who lost loved ones in the flood of a year ago.

Pray for the families. Having been on their side in a different scenario, I know the prayers of the faithful are felt by those for whom the prayers are offered.

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Agree. And pray for the Eastlands too.

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Marvin_Zindler said:

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dermdoc said:

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mwm said:

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Amazing testimony by these three dads. I would have never made it through the interview without creating a big, big puddle.

Every day is hard but this week will be the hardest for all of the families who lost loved ones in the flood of a year ago.

Pray for the families. Having been on their side in a different scenario, I know the prayers of the faithful are felt by those for whom the prayers are offered.

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Agree. And pray for the Eastlands too.

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We will. And we are also praying for your family. May God bless you and hold you close this week.

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dermdoc said:

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Ex Ex Officio Director said:

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https://people.com/couples-daughter-died-at-camp-mystic-flooding-grief-fuels-life-saving-mission-12009196

Great story about Mary Grace's legacy.

ETA: Mary Grace is Derm's great-niece.

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Thanks for that. Tough week.

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