Editor’s Note: The video above is from when Gov. Greg Abbott signed flood safety bills in September.
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced Monday the creation of new general investigating committees tasked with examining the factors that led to the deaths of young girls at Camp Mystic.
“In July, Texans were deeply saddened by the deadly flooding on the Guadalupe River, where amongst many others, 27 vibrant young girls were lost from one camp, Camp Mystic,” Patrick said in a news release. “I was shocked to see Camp Mystic begin signing up campers for next year with so many questions unanswered about what happened that fateful morning.”
The House and Senate committees were created during the second special session in September. Patrick said the five-member Senate committee will “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred,” with an emphasis on the actions taken at Camp Mystic.
“Camp Mystic has not spoken publicly on the record as to what happened that morning,” Patrick said in the release. “They will be invited to testify, as will others involved in this flooding event.”
Camp Mystic released a statement Monday afternoon, writing that it plans to work with the investigating committees.
“We look forward to working with the Senate and House General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 flooding events and helping them and the public more fully understand the facts of what happened. We are grateful to Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Burrows for their continued leadership and their efforts to ensure that tragic losses such as those that occurred on July 4 will never happen again,” Camp Mystic’s statement reads.
Burrows said the magnitude of the July floods, which killed more than 130 people in Central Texas, demands a comprehensive review of what went wrong and how to better prepare for future emergencies.
“The House investigating committee will work alongside our Senate partners to examine the contributing factors to the devastation at Camp Mystic and identify ways to strengthen the state’s preparedness and response to flooding and other natural disasters,” Burrows said in his own release.
Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott signed multiple bills into law passed during the second special session that addressed camp safety and warning sirens. Those bills changed the requirements for a youth camp to obtain a license, changes rules on where a cabin can be located, and requires camps to submit emergency preparedness plans.
The 10 state lawmakers — five senators and five representatives — that make up the committees are:
- Rep. Morgan Meyer, R – University Park (Chair)
- Rep. Joe Moody, D – El Paso (Vice-Chair)
- Rep. Drew Darby, R – San Angelo
- Rep. Paul Dyson, R – Bryan
- Rep. Erin Gámez, D – Brownsville
- Sen. Pete Flores, R – Pleasanton (Chair)
- Sen. Charles Perry, R – Lubbock (Vice-Chair)
- Sen. Bryan Hughes, R – Tyler
- Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R – Brenham
- Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio
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