07/14/2025

FEMA Removed Dozens of Camp Mystic Buildings from its Flood Map before Expansion

The recent flood was far more severe than the 100-year event FEMA envisioned

Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review by The Associated Press found.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) included the prestigious girls' summer camp in a "Special Flood Hazard Area" in its National Flood Insurance map for Kerr County in 2011, which means it was required to have flood insurance and faced tighter regulation on any future construction projects.

That designation means an area is likely to be inundated during a 100-year flood — one severe enough that it only has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Associated Press.