In a heartbreaking development for the families of the young victims, a group of lawsuits has been filed against the all-girls summer camp in Texas where a devastating flash flood claimed the lives of campers and counsellors. The legal actions accuse the camp’s management of serious lapses in flood preparedness, delayed evacuation, and placing cabins in known high-risk areas—all of which culminated in tragedy.
Negligence Allegations and Evacuation Failures
The lawsuits, filed in Travis County, target the camp and its leadership, charging them with wrongful death and gross negligence. Plaintiffs say that despite known flooding risks and warnings from weather services, campers in vulnerable riverside cabins were not moved in time. One suit claims the camp instructed staff to safeguard equipment rather than ensure the safe evacuation of children—even as water levels surged. The families assert the site sits squarely within a “flash-flood corridor” and contend the camp ignored its own history of flooding by keeping young girls in flood-prone cabins.
Allegations of Prior Knowledge and Profit over Safety
According to the filings, the camp had appealed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to remove certain buildings from flood-zone designation—moves the lawsuits say were aimed at cost-saving rather than safety-improving. Parents further claim the camp’s promotional messaging misled families by describing the cabin locations as “high and safe,” even though the floodwater path had previously caused damage.
Wider Impact and Calls for Reform
The tragic loss of life has prompted not just legal action but legislative responses. In the wake of the disaster, the state of Texas enacted stricter summer-camp safety rules, including requirements for evacuation plans and flood warning systems. Meanwhile, the camp’s plan to reopen part of its facilities next year has stirred opposition among bereaved families who say the decision comes without sufficient accountability or input.
