Families Sue Texas Officials Over Camp Mystic Flood Licensing

In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, families of nine young campers and counselors killed in last July's devastating flood at Camp Mystic accused Texas health officials of licensing the camp without verifying it had a required evacuation plan, contributing to the deaths of 27 people at the riverside site in the Texas Hill Country.

The suit, lodged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, targets the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and six officials, including Commissioner Jennifer Shuford. It alleges that state regulations mandate youth camps maintain written emergency plans with evacuation procedures for each building, yet inspectors approved Camp Mystic's operations despite its policy directing campers to remain in cabins during floods. "Young campers and counselors were killed because the camp had no plan," the lawsuit states. "The camp is responsible, but so are the state officials who helped create this inexcusable risk to life by directing and executing a policy of noncompliance with Texas law."

The tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours of July 4, when torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to surge 26 feet, overwhelming the...