1 00:00:00,238 --> 00:00:03,388 Dominic Anthony Walsh: This episode includes details of traumatic events 2 00:00:03,418 --> 00:00:06,688 and death, so please listen with care 3 00:00:09,678 --> 00:00:11,348 Previously on After the Flood. 4 00:00:11,528 --> 00:00:13,848 911 call: The flood is up to our house right now. 5 00:00:13,848 --> 00:00:18,248 We're okay, but we live about a mile down the road from Camp Misty. 6 00:00:18,458 --> 00:00:21,687 Emily Foxhall: You can see officials grappling with understanding 7 00:00:21,737 --> 00:00:24,998 what happened, trying to figure out who was missing, trying to 8 00:00:24,998 --> 00:00:26,538 figure out how many were dead. 9 00:00:26,727 --> 00:00:30,777 Matthew Childress: I went back in and gave her 17 kisses before we 10 00:00:30,787 --> 00:00:33,817 said goodbye, 'cause that's how we said goodbye, good night every night. 11 00:00:41,846 --> 00:00:46,556 Dominic Anthony Walsh: On July 12th, 2025, Matthew and Wendy Childress celebrated the 12 00:00:46,556 --> 00:00:48,876 life of their only daughter in Houston. 13 00:00:49,096 --> 00:00:50,166 Matthew Childress: The funeral was overwhelming. 14 00:00:50,806 --> 00:00:52,215 It was a packed house. 15 00:00:52,786 --> 00:00:55,355 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Chloe's service was held at St. Luke's United Methodist 16 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:59,096 Church about a week after they'd identified her body in Kerrville. 17 00:00:59,156 --> 00:01:02,465 Matthew Childress: Walking into the sanctuary was overwhelming 18 00:01:02,465 --> 00:01:05,586 just to see the level and volume of people that were there. 19 00:01:06,505 --> 00:01:13,375 And the first 10 or so rows, uh, the pews were filled with girls and her friends. 20 00:01:13,386 --> 00:01:15,305 They were all wearing white in honor of Chloe. 21 00:01:16,876 --> 00:01:18,366 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Some of Chloe's friends spoke. 22 00:01:18,615 --> 00:01:22,035 Matthew says they shared happy memories and silly stories. 23 00:01:22,385 --> 00:01:24,925 He wanted them to remember the best sides of Chloe. 24 00:01:25,455 --> 00:01:28,015 Then Matthew took his place behind the microphone. 25 00:01:28,995 --> 00:01:31,255 Matthew Childress: I can't believe this is actually my turn to do this. 26 00:01:32,635 --> 00:01:35,825 Um, so considering this is the first time I've ever had to do something 27 00:01:35,826 --> 00:01:40,155 like this, uh, you guys please bear with me, and I promise that I'm the 28 00:01:40,165 --> 00:01:43,705 last person that's gonna kind of b- beat you down today with stories. 29 00:01:44,345 --> 00:01:49,735 But, um, I'm Matthew Childress, and I am honored to be the father of 30 00:01:49,736 --> 00:01:52,266 a hero, Chloe Madeline Childress. 31 00:01:53,755 --> 00:01:55,896 Um, so yeah, this, this sucks. 32 00:01:56,136 --> 00:01:56,735 This sucks. 33 00:01:57,145 --> 00:01:58,875 This is, this is as terrible as you think it is. 34 00:01:59,315 --> 00:02:01,996 Dominic Anthony Walsh: In his eulogy, and in the times he and I have spoken 35 00:02:01,996 --> 00:02:06,845 since, Matthew paints a portrait of an energetic, precocious little girl 36 00:02:06,855 --> 00:02:09,025 who became an ambitious young woman. 37 00:02:09,435 --> 00:02:12,155 Matthew Childress: Chloe growing up was kind of a mess. 38 00:02:12,725 --> 00:02:16,755 She was always a handful, even just as an infant, as a toddler. 39 00:02:17,135 --> 00:02:21,435 She was always on the move, always doing something, always pushing, 40 00:02:21,655 --> 00:02:26,135 and a lot of that I think was just about her yearning to learn and to 41 00:02:26,145 --> 00:02:27,955 be more than she was at that moment. 42 00:02:28,585 --> 00:02:30,795 Everything she faced, she figured out how to conquer. 43 00:02:31,276 --> 00:02:34,055 Without our hand-holding, she wanted to become a cheerleader 44 00:02:34,205 --> 00:02:35,505 and tumble and be a flyer. 45 00:02:36,125 --> 00:02:37,356 She did that, not us. 46 00:02:37,935 --> 00:02:38,745 She wanted to play guitar. 47 00:02:39,075 --> 00:02:39,625 She did that. 48 00:02:40,375 --> 00:02:42,875 She wanted to start a slime store back in the day. 49 00:02:43,775 --> 00:02:47,735 She made thousands of dollars selling slime all over the freaking world. 50 00:02:50,072 --> 00:02:54,022 She then decided to sell graduation buttons and stickers and pins. 51 00:02:54,532 --> 00:02:58,232 She made thousands of dollars selling this crap to all their friends. 52 00:02:59,342 --> 00:03:01,962 When she started to grow up, we started to see that personality 53 00:03:01,962 --> 00:03:04,002 really come out in her schoolwork. 54 00:03:04,542 --> 00:03:05,421 She was driven. 55 00:03:05,542 --> 00:03:06,602 She wanted to be smarter. 56 00:03:06,602 --> 00:03:12,301 She wanted to drive to be better as a human being, as a woman, as a student. 57 00:03:12,951 --> 00:03:14,202 So what was Chloe to become? 58 00:03:19,416 --> 00:03:19,826 Give me a second. 59 00:03:21,026 --> 00:03:25,016 She had extremely good grades, got into the University of Texas on her own. 60 00:03:25,366 --> 00:03:29,586 Already picking out and designing her room with the new suite roommates that 61 00:03:29,586 --> 00:03:31,145 were becoming her new best friends. 62 00:03:31,316 --> 00:03:33,415 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Matthew and his family were grieving 63 00:03:33,446 --> 00:03:35,126 everything Chloe could have been. 64 00:03:35,366 --> 00:03:38,956 Matthew Childress: Awkward dates, hangovers, school, med school. 65 00:03:39,056 --> 00:03:40,056 She wanted to be a doctor. 66 00:03:40,666 --> 00:03:45,165 You know, work life, bitching and moaning about your boss, first apartments, 67 00:03:45,175 --> 00:03:48,016 dogs, marriage, crazy in-laws, kids. 68 00:03:48,675 --> 00:03:50,275 You know, it's not about a thousand moments. 69 00:03:50,295 --> 00:03:53,945 It's about a billion moments that she's already had, but just many billions that 70 00:03:53,946 --> 00:03:57,905 she won't get to have now, and that's what we're currently grappling with. 71 00:03:58,755 --> 00:04:00,855 Dominic Anthony Walsh: The family had received the church's blessing 72 00:04:00,865 --> 00:04:05,226 to depart from a traditional service and play some non-traditional music. 73 00:04:06,555 --> 00:04:08,165 Matthew Childress: I want you all to take these songs, and if you ever 74 00:04:08,165 --> 00:04:09,186 listen to them, to think of Chloe 75 00:04:12,270 --> 00:04:13,990 So this is I Need My Girl by The National. 76 00:04:14,730 --> 00:04:20,280 We both love this band because one, just because I naturally love them, but Chloe 77 00:04:20,459 --> 00:04:24,230 loved them because the lead singer and Ch- Taylor Swift did a duet on her album. 78 00:04:26,090 --> 00:04:28,740 But every time I would listen to this song, and this is years 79 00:04:28,740 --> 00:04:33,579 ago, even back then it would make me tear up and think of Chloe. 80 00:04:40,912 --> 00:04:43,371 Dominic Anthony Walsh: At the service, Matthew briefly spoke about the 81 00:04:43,392 --> 00:04:47,051 early morning hours of the flood, about what Chloe and her fellow 82 00:04:47,051 --> 00:04:51,161 counselor, Katherine Ferruzzo, were likely doing as the water rose. 83 00:04:51,572 --> 00:04:55,141 Matthew Childress: Chloe was not just my hero, she was an actual hero. 84 00:04:56,782 --> 00:05:00,852 I will never know exactly what happened that night, and as much of the terror 85 00:05:00,852 --> 00:05:06,421 and horror that I try to keep out of my brain, I know she was leading those 86 00:05:06,421 --> 00:05:12,292 children with Katherine by her side, following the counselor policies, doing 87 00:05:12,301 --> 00:05:16,151 everything they could in their power when it got bad to lead those girls to safety. 88 00:05:16,611 --> 00:05:19,001 She wasn't just my hero, she was their hero. 89 00:05:20,411 --> 00:05:23,062 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Matthew's grief was overwhelming, and so was 90 00:05:23,062 --> 00:05:27,731 his anger, so he and other families who lost their kids at Camp Mystic 91 00:05:28,151 --> 00:05:29,681 decided to do something about it. 92 00:05:33,888 --> 00:05:37,488 On July 4th, 2025, the Texas Hill Country saw one of the 93 00:05:37,488 --> 00:05:39,588 deadliest floods in U.S. history. 94 00:05:40,038 --> 00:05:43,698 More than 130 people died that weekend, mostly in Kerr County. 95 00:05:44,218 --> 00:05:47,948 The tragedy prompted outrage and a lot of questions. 96 00:05:48,418 --> 00:05:53,577 What had gone wrong in those early morning hours, particularly at Camp Mystic, a 97 00:05:53,578 --> 00:05:58,057 popular summer camp in the Hill Country where the director and 27 girls died? 98 00:05:58,268 --> 00:06:01,967 Lawyer: She needed your help and you abandoned her, didn't you? 99 00:06:02,168 --> 00:06:04,447 Casey Garrett: These people did not want this to happen. 100 00:06:04,777 --> 00:06:09,317 They are good people that cared about these girls and these families, 101 00:06:09,917 --> 00:06:12,728 but nothing had changed in decades. 102 00:06:13,307 --> 00:06:15,567 Dominic Anthony Walsh: This is After the Flood, a podcast from The 103 00:06:15,568 --> 00:06:17,758 Texas Newsroom and PBS's Frontline. 104 00:06:17,977 --> 00:06:19,347 I'm Dominic Anthony Walsh. 105 00:06:19,847 --> 00:06:24,288 This is episode three, Who, When, Where, and Now What? 106 00:06:24,797 --> 00:06:28,557 We're gonna take you through what happened the morning of July 4th at Camp Mystic, 107 00:06:28,957 --> 00:06:33,158 the legislation and investigations that followed, and what that's all 108 00:06:33,158 --> 00:06:35,307 meant for other summer camps in Texas. 109 00:06:48,046 --> 00:06:53,056 From the Childress' home in Houston, you can hear the bells at St. Luke's, the same 110 00:06:53,056 --> 00:06:55,156 church where Chloe's funeral was held. 111 00:06:55,526 --> 00:06:59,876 Matthew tells me he's still oscillating between the different stages of grief. 112 00:06:59,885 --> 00:07:01,126 Matthew Childress: It is not linear. 113 00:07:01,586 --> 00:07:06,665 Um, the grief, the anger, the acceptance, all those pieces you bounce 114 00:07:06,665 --> 00:07:08,445 around constantly, and it's nonstop. 115 00:07:08,485 --> 00:07:09,556 I still do that today. 116 00:07:10,526 --> 00:07:13,495 Um, certain things will trigger you that you don't anticipate. 117 00:07:13,546 --> 00:07:14,395 It could be a picture. 118 00:07:14,395 --> 00:07:15,276 It could be an action. 119 00:07:15,276 --> 00:07:18,065 It could be driving by a restaurant that you went to. 120 00:07:18,665 --> 00:07:23,305 But we live in this world every single day that I find myself 121 00:07:23,305 --> 00:07:26,236 just shaking my head saying, "I can't believe I find myself here." 122 00:07:26,985 --> 00:07:29,945 Dominic Anthony Walsh: One of the places he has found himself over 123 00:07:29,956 --> 00:07:34,075 and over again with other Camp Mystic families is the state capitol 124 00:07:39,470 --> 00:07:41,100 Senator Charles Perry: Senate Committee on Disaster Preparedness 125 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:42,070 and Flooding will come to order. 126 00:07:42,070 --> 00:07:42,850 Clerk will call the roll. 127 00:07:43,140 --> 00:07:44,100 Clerk: Chairman Perry? 128 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:44,490 Senator Charles Perry: Here. 129 00:07:45,020 --> 00:07:46,180 Clerk: Vice Chair Flores? 130 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:46,650 Present. 131 00:07:46,850 --> 00:07:47,030 Senator- 132 00:07:47,190 --> 00:07:48,750 Dominic Anthony Walsh: A few weeks after the flood, Texas 133 00:07:48,750 --> 00:07:50,540 lawmakers convened hearings. 134 00:07:50,770 --> 00:07:55,020 State Senator Charles Perry opened one with an especially ominous reminder. 135 00:07:55,509 --> 00:07:56,729 Senator Charles Perry: There will be another flood. 136 00:07:57,490 --> 00:08:01,460 What we learn from this and what actions we take and what actionable 137 00:08:01,460 --> 00:08:06,849 items we demand, not options, out of this process will hopefully 138 00:08:06,849 --> 00:08:08,989 save lives in the next event. 139 00:08:08,989 --> 00:08:12,739 So with that, that's the goal and the objective. 140 00:08:12,749 --> 00:08:12,769 Um- 141 00:08:13,279 --> 00:08:15,430 Dominic Anthony Walsh: One by one, survivors detailed their 142 00:08:15,439 --> 00:08:17,319 experiences to lawmakers. 143 00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:22,840 Flood Survivor: On the night of July 4th, my wife, Nancy, my daughter, and I 144 00:08:22,849 --> 00:08:29,809 barely survived the flood that overtook our property at 3:15 AM with water rising 145 00:08:29,929 --> 00:08:33,559 so fast that all routes were blocked. 146 00:08:34,229 --> 00:08:36,490 We ended up staying in the trees for several hours. 147 00:08:37,269 --> 00:08:42,180 Um, we watched other cars shoot down the river and massive 148 00:08:42,180 --> 00:08:44,159 trees, and we just prayed. 149 00:08:44,540 --> 00:08:49,209 My daughter was not identified until Thursday the 10th, and the only thing 150 00:08:49,209 --> 00:08:53,509 that identified her at all- Was her charm bracelet … was her charm bracelet 151 00:08:55,086 --> 00:08:58,046 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Then came a Kerr County official the public had 152 00:08:58,046 --> 00:09:01,926 not heard from, emergency management coordinator William Dub Thomas. 153 00:09:02,536 --> 00:09:08,346 Thomas told lawmakers he had been sick on July 3rd, off duty and resting at home. 154 00:09:08,906 --> 00:09:12,276 The career law enforcement officer then admitted that he'd been sleeping 155 00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:14,295 through most of the morning on July 4th. 156 00:09:14,576 --> 00:09:18,935 He said his wife woke him up at five thirty AM after the flood had torn 157 00:09:18,936 --> 00:09:23,386 through places like Bumblebee Hills from episode one and Camp Mystic. 158 00:09:23,666 --> 00:09:26,365 William 'Dub' Thomas: To those of you who ask, what would you have done differently? 159 00:09:26,836 --> 00:09:30,206 The honest answer is that based on the data we had at the time, 160 00:09:30,505 --> 00:09:33,976 there was no clear indicator that a catastrophic flood was imminent. 161 00:09:34,606 --> 00:09:37,915 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But as you heard about in episode two, federal and state 162 00:09:37,915 --> 00:09:42,345 officials had been preparing for major flooding on July 3rd, and had been 163 00:09:42,345 --> 00:09:46,726 notifying emergency managers across the state, including in Kerr County. 164 00:09:47,205 --> 00:09:50,355 The National Weather Service, which Thomas himself admitted was the 165 00:09:50,356 --> 00:09:54,096 county's first line of notification for weather events, had issued its 166 00:09:54,096 --> 00:09:58,595 first flood watch alert the afternoon of July 3rd when Thomas was home sick. 167 00:09:59,115 --> 00:10:02,456 The alert meant that conditions were favorable for a flood. 168 00:10:02,916 --> 00:10:04,965 About forty minutes after it was sent- 169 00:10:05,675 --> 00:10:07,906 William 'Dub' Thomas: I briefly woke around two PM when there was 170 00:10:07,906 --> 00:10:12,076 no local rainfall or indication of elevated risk, and returned to rest. 171 00:10:12,516 --> 00:10:14,425 Dominic Anthony Walsh: The National Weather Service sent another flood 172 00:10:14,425 --> 00:10:16,395 watch alert around eight that evening. 173 00:10:16,705 --> 00:10:21,376 Its first flash flood warning, meaning a flood was coming or happening and posed 174 00:10:21,376 --> 00:10:27,075 a serious threat to life and property, was sent at one fourteen AM on July 4th. 175 00:10:27,656 --> 00:10:32,156 Federal meteorologists had also tried to personally contact Thomas, calling 176 00:10:32,156 --> 00:10:37,345 him multiple times in the early morning hours of July 4th to notify him the river 177 00:10:37,345 --> 00:10:39,665 was flooding, but he didn't pick up. 178 00:10:39,876 --> 00:10:40,795 He was asleep. 179 00:10:41,626 --> 00:10:45,905 Thomas' boss, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, told lawmakers that he had been 180 00:10:45,925 --> 00:10:47,725 out of town at the time of the flood. 181 00:10:48,095 --> 00:10:52,225 He was visiting Lake Travis, a popular vacation destination just outside 182 00:10:52,235 --> 00:10:57,015 Austin, and no one beyond Thomas and Judge Kelly had been designated to 183 00:10:57,016 --> 00:10:59,496 answer calls from emergency managers. 184 00:11:00,156 --> 00:11:04,726 Kelly's admission drew a sharp rebuke from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, one of 185 00:11:04,726 --> 00:11:06,805 the top elected officials in the state. 186 00:11:07,306 --> 00:11:08,585 Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick: You should have been here. 187 00:11:09,246 --> 00:11:11,325 You should have been here directing that response. 188 00:11:11,975 --> 00:11:16,862 That's your responsibility I'm not pointing a finger, I'm not blaming you. 189 00:11:17,052 --> 00:11:18,592 I just want to set the record straight. 190 00:11:19,012 --> 00:11:23,352 Everyone was here that day working their ass off, and you were nowhere to be found. 191 00:11:24,532 --> 00:11:27,291 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Kerr County Sheriff Larry Letho told lawmakers that 192 00:11:27,322 --> 00:11:32,062 deputies woke him up after parts of the county had already been devastated. 193 00:11:32,622 --> 00:11:34,362 Senator Ann Johnson: But you didn't wake up till four twenty. 194 00:11:35,372 --> 00:11:39,291 The judge is in Lake Travis, and the emergency manager is sick. 195 00:11:40,612 --> 00:11:41,202 Larry Leitha: Correct, ma'am. 196 00:11:41,231 --> 00:11:43,272 At that time, my people were out there doing the job. 197 00:11:43,292 --> 00:11:45,882 You know, I got the call at four twenty, but they were doing their job 198 00:11:45,891 --> 00:11:47,602 notifying people and rescuing people. 199 00:11:48,402 --> 00:11:51,981 Senator Ann Johnson: But you, to your point, this was a weather 200 00:11:51,981 --> 00:11:53,371 event nobody had ever seen. 201 00:11:54,801 --> 00:11:56,021 It was moving fast. 202 00:11:57,101 --> 00:11:57,571 Larry Leitha: Yes, ma'am. 203 00:11:58,851 --> 00:12:01,551 Senator Ann Johnson: The three guys in Kerr County who were 204 00:12:01,551 --> 00:12:05,942 responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable. 205 00:12:07,071 --> 00:12:09,471 Dominic Anthony Walsh: According to a federal investigation, the National 206 00:12:09,472 --> 00:12:13,821 Weather Service also tried to call the sheriff's office three times around three 207 00:12:13,821 --> 00:12:16,302 forty AM to warn them of river flooding. 208 00:12:16,871 --> 00:12:18,941 The calls immediately disconnected. 209 00:12:19,441 --> 00:12:22,762 Along with warning them, federal weather officials had been trying 210 00:12:22,762 --> 00:12:26,081 to connect with local emergency responders for another reason. 211 00:12:26,462 --> 00:12:29,721 They needed a better sense of the flooding, particularly on the 212 00:12:29,721 --> 00:12:31,771 South Fork of the Guadalupe River. 213 00:12:32,242 --> 00:12:34,992 There were no gauges measuring that part of the river, which 214 00:12:34,992 --> 00:12:36,512 is also home to Camp Mystic. 215 00:12:37,041 --> 00:12:40,701 As you heard in the last episode, local officials hadn't been willing 216 00:12:40,702 --> 00:12:44,791 to update the flood warning system and add new river gauges to the area. 217 00:12:45,821 --> 00:12:48,941 A few weeks after those hearings is when Chloe Childress should 218 00:12:48,941 --> 00:12:50,251 have been heading to college. 219 00:12:50,661 --> 00:12:52,931 Instead, Matthew was in Austin. 220 00:12:53,422 --> 00:12:56,152 Matthew Childress: So August fourteenth originally was my daughter's move-in 221 00:12:56,152 --> 00:12:59,191 day at her dorm, Hardin House in Austin. 222 00:12:59,681 --> 00:13:05,322 So that day, instead, we had made arrangements to meet with the governor, 223 00:13:05,351 --> 00:13:10,212 the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house to lobby for camp safety. 224 00:13:10,781 --> 00:13:12,112 Dominic Anthony Walsh: The twenty-seven girls who died at 225 00:13:12,112 --> 00:13:16,211 Camp Mystic were now being referred to as the Heaven's Twenty-Seven. 226 00:13:16,681 --> 00:13:19,431 Matthew Childress: And as part of that, we were working with some 227 00:13:19,461 --> 00:13:24,711 lobbying teams and about twenty of the Heaven's Twenty-Seven families went. 228 00:13:25,461 --> 00:13:29,001 And we had hour-and-a-half meetings with each of those individuals, and each 229 00:13:29,041 --> 00:13:34,861 meeting ended with us giving them our request, which was to, in the next special 230 00:13:34,862 --> 00:13:37,631 session, to make camp safety a priority. 231 00:13:38,101 --> 00:13:40,392 Dominic Anthony Walsh: What was it like doing that three times in one day? 232 00:13:40,621 --> 00:13:41,221 Matthew Childress: Exhausting. 233 00:13:41,771 --> 00:13:42,751 Absolutely exhausting. 234 00:13:43,312 --> 00:13:45,101 The first time was 235 00:13:47,278 --> 00:13:50,008 The toughest, because a lot of that information was fresh. 236 00:13:50,308 --> 00:13:53,918 We had not heard some of those personal stories from each of those parents. 237 00:13:54,918 --> 00:13:58,127 And every single one of the stories were absolutely devastating. 238 00:13:58,908 --> 00:14:04,358 And not just about their children, but the terror and grief that each 239 00:14:04,358 --> 00:14:05,498 of the parents were going through. 240 00:14:06,137 --> 00:14:09,198 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Lawmakers debated how to plan for and respond 241 00:14:09,198 --> 00:14:13,458 to floods through legislation, and not just at camps, but around the state. 242 00:14:13,848 --> 00:14:18,278 They would ultimately give nearly $300 million for relief efforts to 243 00:14:18,278 --> 00:14:23,227 improve flood preparedness and to help communities across Texas, including Kerr 244 00:14:23,228 --> 00:14:26,097 County, build flood warning systems. 245 00:14:26,478 --> 00:14:29,138 You'll hear more about those in episode five. 246 00:14:29,708 --> 00:14:32,737 They also put new requirements in place for youth camps. 247 00:14:32,927 --> 00:14:37,757 Camps now need state-approved emergency plans and have to train campers on them. 248 00:14:38,247 --> 00:14:41,627 Camps in floodplains need to follow a bunch of additional requirements, 249 00:14:41,767 --> 00:14:46,858 such as adding evacuation equipment like ladders to cabins, and they must 250 00:14:46,887 --> 00:14:51,188 now evacuate if the National Weather Service issues a flood warning alert. 251 00:14:51,837 --> 00:14:56,238 In September, Matthew and other Heaven's 27 families watched from the gallery 252 00:14:56,278 --> 00:15:00,218 of the Texas Capitol as bills they'd helped create that could have saved 253 00:15:00,218 --> 00:15:02,497 their daughters were becoming laws. 254 00:15:03,068 --> 00:15:06,687 And then during the Senate bill passing, the Lieutenant Governor, 255 00:15:06,757 --> 00:15:10,787 Dan Patrick, made additional comments about the two counselors. 256 00:15:11,138 --> 00:15:12,927 Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick: They were old enough and big enough 257 00:15:14,227 --> 00:15:15,558 they could have saved themselves. 258 00:15:16,307 --> 00:15:17,827 And they stayed. 259 00:15:18,737 --> 00:15:19,387 They stayed. 260 00:15:20,278 --> 00:15:23,897 So to those two counselors, I don't know that we have an award 261 00:15:23,928 --> 00:15:27,647 for courage in Texas, but if we don't, we need to have one. 262 00:15:28,447 --> 00:15:32,257 Because those two 18-year-olds did what Scripture says. 263 00:15:33,087 --> 00:15:35,207 You give your life to try to save another. 264 00:15:35,937 --> 00:15:40,327 Matthew Childress: I was pretty stoic, pretty stone-faced, and what 265 00:15:40,327 --> 00:15:43,108 he said brought me to roaring tears. 266 00:15:46,190 --> 00:15:49,430 Dominic Anthony Walsh: The families are even lobbying for changes in other states. 267 00:15:49,660 --> 00:15:54,190 Alabama's new camp safety law is named after Sarah Marsh, an eight-year-old girl 268 00:15:54,190 --> 00:15:56,040 from the state who died at Camp Mystic. 269 00:15:56,670 --> 00:16:00,030 Childress says he sees momentum behind bills filed in Maryland, 270 00:16:00,060 --> 00:16:01,600 Missouri, and Oklahoma. 271 00:16:02,210 --> 00:16:04,750 Matthew Childress: Most meaningful to all of us is what we're 272 00:16:04,750 --> 00:16:06,089 doing across other states. 273 00:16:06,319 --> 00:16:09,440 What we passed in Texas is now being used as a template for other states 274 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:16,489 to leverage, and it brings such joy and happiness that their lives are not 275 00:16:16,489 --> 00:16:21,279 just lost in vain, that they can be conceived or seen as heroes helping 276 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,319 to save other lives of children that they would never have met in the past. 277 00:16:24,839 --> 00:16:29,069 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But would anything actually change at Mystic, or any other 278 00:16:29,069 --> 00:16:31,039 summer camp in Texas, for that matter? 279 00:16:31,510 --> 00:16:34,230 I'm Dominic Anthony Walsh, and this is After the Flood. 280 00:16:34,420 --> 00:16:35,199 We'll be right back. 281 00:16:41,048 --> 00:16:43,598 Senator: Chair calls the Senate General investigating committee on the 282 00:16:43,598 --> 00:16:46,048 July 2025 flooding events to order. 283 00:16:46,048 --> 00:16:47,118 The clerk will call the roll. 284 00:16:48,078 --> 00:16:48,998 Clerk: Chairman Flores? 285 00:16:49,038 --> 00:16:49,418 Senator: Present. 286 00:16:49,868 --> 00:16:50,577 Clerk: Vice Chair Perry? 287 00:16:51,137 --> 00:16:51,357 Senator Charles Perry: Present. 288 00:16:51,838 --> 00:16:52,098 Clerk: Senator Hughes? 289 00:16:52,098 --> 00:16:54,118 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Seven months after Texas passed new camp 290 00:16:54,118 --> 00:16:56,277 laws, Mystic was back in the news. 291 00:16:56,837 --> 00:17:00,007 The investigation Matthew, Wendy, and other Mystic parents 292 00:17:00,007 --> 00:17:01,558 had pushed for was complete. 293 00:17:02,208 --> 00:17:08,037 Senator: Members, we are here today to examine in detail an unimaginable tragedy 294 00:17:08,038 --> 00:17:15,234 that occurred in the Texas Hill Country on July the 4th, 2025 Among the many 295 00:17:15,234 --> 00:17:19,644 lives lost were twenty-seven vibrant young girls from one camp, Camp Mystic. 296 00:17:20,854 --> 00:17:24,654 Dominic Anthony Walsh: On April 27th, 2026, a lawyer appointed by the state 297 00:17:24,654 --> 00:17:29,054 legislature named Kasey Garrett presented the findings to lawmakers in Austin. 298 00:17:29,524 --> 00:17:32,083 She laid out what happened that morning at the camp. 299 00:17:32,584 --> 00:17:36,733 Garrett started by highlighting just how prestigious and beloved it was. 300 00:17:36,953 --> 00:17:40,613 Casey Garrett: The lion's share of the situation was a multi-generational, 301 00:17:40,894 --> 00:17:45,063 um, you know, put your daughter on the wait list at birth. 302 00:17:45,353 --> 00:17:50,723 Uh, this was, you know, wives telling their, their, you know, 303 00:17:50,723 --> 00:17:53,833 their new husbands that, "If we have a daughter, she'll go to Mystic." 304 00:17:53,953 --> 00:17:55,653 It was, it was a known thing. 305 00:17:55,664 --> 00:17:58,653 It was a very traditional culture. 306 00:17:58,754 --> 00:18:01,073 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Also part of that culture, flooding. 307 00:18:01,574 --> 00:18:03,643 Casey Garrett: Part of the camp lore, right? 308 00:18:03,684 --> 00:18:09,163 Uh, many people in this room told me about being on Senior Hill when it would, when 309 00:18:09,164 --> 00:18:12,944 the land bridge would flood, and we liked it because we could stay in our cabins 310 00:18:12,944 --> 00:18:15,543 and have food delivered to us by boat. 311 00:18:15,804 --> 00:18:17,264 It was novel. 312 00:18:17,283 --> 00:18:19,633 It was part of camp lore. 313 00:18:19,934 --> 00:18:26,413 It became a very complacent s- sort of flood culture at Camp Mystic. 314 00:18:27,443 --> 00:18:29,233 It was just kind of part of life there. 315 00:18:29,703 --> 00:18:31,794 Dominic Anthony Walsh: What you're about to hear is what happened that 316 00:18:31,794 --> 00:18:35,923 morning according to Garrett, a federal investigation, and testimony 317 00:18:35,963 --> 00:18:39,354 that's come out in the multiple lawsuits filed against Camp Mystic. 318 00:18:39,843 --> 00:18:43,214 The Eastland family, which owns the camp, declined to be 319 00:18:43,224 --> 00:18:44,763 interviewed for this podcast. 320 00:18:46,443 --> 00:18:49,734 Unlike some of Kerr County's leaders, Mystic co-owner and 321 00:18:49,734 --> 00:18:54,244 director Dick Eastland was awake the night of July 3rd into July 4th. 322 00:18:54,633 --> 00:18:58,143 He'd been obsessively monitoring rain and river gauge data on 323 00:18:58,144 --> 00:19:02,133 his phone as he watched news about national politics on TV. 324 00:19:02,703 --> 00:19:06,263 The data he was looking at would not have given him a good sense of how the 325 00:19:06,263 --> 00:19:11,053 Guadalupe was rising near Mystic, since again, there were no gauges nearby. 326 00:19:11,614 --> 00:19:15,613 At 1:14 AM, the National Weather Service issued that first flash 327 00:19:15,623 --> 00:19:17,253 flood warning for Kerr County. 328 00:19:17,843 --> 00:19:20,993 Weather alerts had become really common over the years in this part 329 00:19:20,993 --> 00:19:25,054 of the state, but flash flooding during camp season was rare. 330 00:19:25,273 --> 00:19:28,064 Only two flash flood warning alerts had been sent out 331 00:19:28,064 --> 00:19:30,403 during camp season since 2007. 332 00:19:31,783 --> 00:19:36,523 At 1:45 AM, about 30 minutes after the alert was sent, Dick walkie-talkied 333 00:19:36,574 --> 00:19:38,703 his son, Edward, who had been asleep. 334 00:19:39,203 --> 00:19:43,153 Dick was worried the river would start rising, and asked Edward, a director at 335 00:19:43,163 --> 00:19:45,854 the camp, to help him move some canoes. 336 00:19:46,303 --> 00:19:50,173 Edward later told a court that neither he nor his father saw the need to 337 00:19:50,184 --> 00:19:55,183 wake anyone up at that point, but many campers were awake and worried. 338 00:19:56,590 --> 00:20:01,260 At 2:30 AM, two counselors from the cabins closest to the Guadalupe River ran to 339 00:20:01,260 --> 00:20:05,530 the front office to tell Dick and Edward that water was coming into their cabins. 340 00:20:05,540 --> 00:20:09,919 Casey Garrett: Let me remind you, this is 2:30 AM. 341 00:20:10,459 --> 00:20:16,609 It is pitch black, it is pouring rain. 342 00:20:17,219 --> 00:20:21,289 These girls are in their pajamas, and they make the decision to 343 00:20:21,289 --> 00:20:25,339 run to the front office, and so that was a significant decision. 344 00:20:25,590 --> 00:20:29,359 Um, they were obviously very concerned about what was going on. 345 00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:31,239 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Dick had been messaging his wife, 346 00:20:31,389 --> 00:20:32,589 Tweety, in the meantime. 347 00:20:32,659 --> 00:20:36,519 Casey Garrett: And Dick obviously knows this is a real serious 348 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,359 problem because he's texting that there's over four inches of rain. 349 00:20:39,820 --> 00:20:42,099 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But Edward said in court testimony that 350 00:20:42,110 --> 00:20:45,429 at that point in the night, the river hadn't reached the cabins. 351 00:20:45,829 --> 00:20:49,050 So Dick and Edward drove the concerned counselors back to 352 00:20:49,050 --> 00:20:52,929 their cabins and told them to put towels down to soak up the water. 353 00:20:53,939 --> 00:20:58,699 Shortly thereafter, at 2:55, the camp's gatekeeper used her walkie-talkie 354 00:20:58,719 --> 00:21:03,269 to tell Dick and Edward that her cabin was quickly taking on water. 355 00:21:03,869 --> 00:21:08,179 Casey Garrett: Uh, she gets on the radio and frantically, uh, radios to 356 00:21:08,179 --> 00:21:13,519 Edward and to whoever's listening, "My cabin is flooding." Um, Edward 357 00:21:14,039 --> 00:21:15,979 says, "Get to higher ground. 358 00:21:15,990 --> 00:21:17,000 Get out, Frances. 359 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:18,069 Get to higher ground." 360 00:21:18,969 --> 00:21:21,590 Dominic Anthony Walsh: A few minutes later, Dick, Edward, and the camp's 361 00:21:21,590 --> 00:21:25,479 night watchman began evacuating some of the cabins closest to the river. 362 00:21:26,069 --> 00:21:29,039 Edward later admitted in court that they could have done things 363 00:21:29,039 --> 00:21:30,760 differently leading up to that point. 364 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:35,099 The grounds were still passable on foot, so they could have gone cabin to cabin 365 00:21:35,229 --> 00:21:37,659 and told campers to evacuate themselves. 366 00:21:38,069 --> 00:21:41,999 They could have used the loudspeaker, which just hours before had played 367 00:21:42,020 --> 00:21:45,960 Taps before bedtime, to tell the girls to run to higher ground. 368 00:21:46,509 --> 00:21:51,009 Instead, the girls were expected to shelter in place, which was camp 369 00:21:51,020 --> 00:21:55,529 protocol, but some counselors decided to take matters into their own hands. 370 00:21:55,979 --> 00:22:00,389 Between 3:24 and 3:40, they started evacuating their campers on foot. 371 00:22:00,929 --> 00:22:03,699 Here's Garrett talking about the conversation investigators 372 00:22:03,709 --> 00:22:05,409 had with those counselors. 373 00:22:06,039 --> 00:22:10,379 Casey Garrett: They express to us that they know nobody's coming. 374 00:22:11,439 --> 00:22:15,259 "Nobody's coming for us. We know that that's done." These counselors 375 00:22:15,259 --> 00:22:18,438 realize- We've got to take action. 376 00:22:19,058 --> 00:22:22,058 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Dick then radioed that campers in cabins called Bubble Inn 377 00:22:22,078 --> 00:22:25,198 and Twins One and Two had to be evacuated. 378 00:22:25,598 --> 00:22:29,108 The cabins were in a particularly low-lying area of the camp, 379 00:22:29,188 --> 00:22:30,638 near the Guadalupe River. 380 00:22:31,028 --> 00:22:34,587 They also housed the youngest campers, the eight and nine-year-olds. 381 00:22:35,007 --> 00:22:37,598 Chloe Childress was a counselor in Bubble Inn. 382 00:22:38,028 --> 00:22:41,528 At 3:50, Dick used his walkie-talkie to ask for help. 383 00:22:41,878 --> 00:22:46,328 State investigators later found that he had likely put all of the girls in Bubble 384 00:22:46,328 --> 00:22:52,038 Inn in his SUV to try to evacuate them, even though he'd warned Edward against 385 00:22:52,038 --> 00:22:54,197 driving in the flood earlier that night. 386 00:22:54,507 --> 00:22:58,067 Casey Garrett: And then the next radio transmission from Dick is, "I 387 00:22:58,097 --> 00:23:05,577 have Bubble Inn cabin in my car. I'm stuck against a tree. I need help." 388 00:23:06,437 --> 00:23:08,487 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Edward radioed back that he couldn't help. 389 00:23:08,637 --> 00:23:12,057 He was stuck trying to help girls in Twins One and Two. 390 00:23:12,647 --> 00:23:16,268 Edward would later describe the harrowing situation to a court. 391 00:23:16,768 --> 00:23:20,548 Edward Eastland: Uh, I held onto those girls, um, holding onto the door 392 00:23:20,548 --> 00:23:26,107 frame while, um, there was a- another girl, Twins One, jumped on my back. 393 00:23:26,107 --> 00:23:28,988 I don't know who it was, but they put their arms around my neck, 394 00:23:29,497 --> 00:23:32,757 um, before we got washed out. 395 00:23:34,287 --> 00:23:37,937 Um, and the, the water came up over my head very quickly 396 00:23:43,086 --> 00:23:45,206 Dominic Anthony Walsh: The state investigation found that counselors 397 00:23:45,226 --> 00:23:49,596 in the twin cabins were eventually left with no choice but to try to 398 00:23:49,596 --> 00:23:51,276 help the campers swim to safety. 399 00:23:51,856 --> 00:23:53,956 Some were swept away and died. 400 00:23:55,185 --> 00:23:59,676 Mary Liz Eastland, the camp's chief medical officer and Edward's wife, 401 00:24:00,045 --> 00:24:03,306 later told a court she didn't help evacuate some of the most vulnerable 402 00:24:03,306 --> 00:24:07,476 campers because rushing water had stopped her from reaching their cabins. 403 00:24:08,125 --> 00:24:13,075 Then she made a startling admission about camper Ceil Steward under questioning 404 00:24:13,076 --> 00:24:14,635 from the Steward family's attorney. 405 00:24:14,996 --> 00:24:18,906 Lawyer: You knew the property, you knew the flood lines, you knew, you knew 406 00:24:18,955 --> 00:24:25,275 access points, your children knew them, and these were first-year campers. 407 00:24:26,435 --> 00:24:30,215 You had 34 more years of experience than Ceil. 408 00:24:31,915 --> 00:24:35,616 She needed your help and you abandoned her, didn't you? 409 00:24:37,665 --> 00:24:38,155 Mary Liz Eastland: Yes. 410 00:24:47,950 --> 00:24:50,640 Dominic Anthony Walsh: By 4:09 AM, Edward was submerged, 411 00:24:50,670 --> 00:24:52,040 according to his phone data. 412 00:24:52,250 --> 00:24:54,820 He was swept away by the floodwaters, along with some of 413 00:24:54,820 --> 00:24:56,350 the girls he was trying to help. 414 00:24:57,100 --> 00:25:00,569 Edward and hundreds of girls and camp staffers at Mystic survived 415 00:25:00,580 --> 00:25:05,240 the flood, but Dick Eastland, 25 campers, and two counselors did not. 416 00:25:06,079 --> 00:25:09,730 The state investigation found that Mystic had no written plans for what 417 00:25:09,730 --> 00:25:14,040 to do in an emergency, which were required even at the time of the flood. 418 00:25:14,399 --> 00:25:17,139 There were no evacuation protocols or drills. 419 00:25:17,589 --> 00:25:21,460 None of the nearly 40 adults at the camp at the time had been 420 00:25:21,460 --> 00:25:25,799 told to evacuate campers, and none were assigned to supervise any 421 00:25:25,799 --> 00:25:27,560 of the campers who had evacuated. 422 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:32,430 One of those girls, who returned to her cabin to retrieve a belonging, died. 423 00:25:33,249 --> 00:25:35,879 Garrett summed up the state's investigation by saying 424 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:37,489 this about the Eastlands. 425 00:25:37,689 --> 00:25:39,850 Casey Garrett: They are loving Christian people. 426 00:25:40,169 --> 00:25:44,970 Unfortunately, they were running a multi-million dollar for-profit 427 00:25:45,029 --> 00:25:47,299 business like something from 1965. 428 00:25:47,979 --> 00:25:50,280 These people did not want this to happen. 429 00:25:50,579 --> 00:25:55,189 They are good people that cared about these girls and these families, 430 00:25:55,659 --> 00:25:58,570 but nothing had changed in decades. 431 00:25:59,670 --> 00:26:02,029 Dominic Anthony Walsh: For Matthew Childress, the hearings and the state 432 00:26:02,030 --> 00:26:07,420 investigation were tough to listen to, but there was also a sense of vindication. 433 00:26:07,749 --> 00:26:09,600 Matthew Childress: All that information was shocking on the 434 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,919 face of it, but also confirmed everything that we had been claiming. 435 00:26:13,979 --> 00:26:15,709 There was a tremendous amount of relief. 436 00:26:16,109 --> 00:26:19,559 You know, it felt like that there was a, a weight lifted from many of us. 437 00:26:20,339 --> 00:26:22,769 Dominic Anthony Walsh: At a court hearing in April, Edward Eastland 438 00:26:22,779 --> 00:26:27,079 apologized to the families of the Heaven's 27, many of whom, including the 439 00:26:27,079 --> 00:26:29,360 Childresses, were suing the Eastlands. 440 00:26:29,719 --> 00:26:32,530 Edward Eastland: I think about the night of the flood every moment of every day. 441 00:26:33,079 --> 00:26:36,260 We tried our hardest that night, and it wasn't enough to save your daughters. 442 00:26:38,924 --> 00:26:40,984 We were devastated alongside you. 443 00:26:42,354 --> 00:26:46,874 I regret not communicating more with each of you earlier, and I'm so sorry 444 00:26:48,206 --> 00:26:50,916 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But up until that point, Camp Mystic had been planning 445 00:26:50,916 --> 00:26:55,346 to reopen for the 2026 season, even though it was under investigation 446 00:26:55,346 --> 00:26:57,465 by the state for possible neglect. 447 00:26:57,745 --> 00:27:00,705 Girls were already signed up for summer sessions that would have 448 00:27:00,706 --> 00:27:04,005 been at a separate property from where people died in the flood. 449 00:27:04,565 --> 00:27:08,186 The Heavens twenty-seven families fought the reopening, but Eastland 450 00:27:08,196 --> 00:27:11,905 family attorney Mikal Watts said that their objections weren't 451 00:27:11,905 --> 00:27:13,445 enough to stop it from happening. 452 00:27:13,655 --> 00:27:17,505 Mikal Watts: I acknowledge, uh, their pain, and I acknowledge how difficult it 453 00:27:17,505 --> 00:27:27,156 is, but, um, no one person has, uh, in my view, uh, the right to tell hundreds 454 00:27:27,156 --> 00:27:30,656 and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of other families who have benefited from 455 00:27:30,656 --> 00:27:35,475 the Christian guidance of this camp and want their girls back here for future 456 00:27:35,476 --> 00:27:38,115 generations, uh, that they can't do that. 457 00:27:38,645 --> 00:27:41,745 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But days after Edward's apology, Camp Mystic changed 458 00:27:41,775 --> 00:27:46,245 course and announced it would not reopen for the summer 2026 season. 459 00:27:46,785 --> 00:27:51,355 Many of the Eastlands, including Edward, had just very publicly testified in court. 460 00:27:51,555 --> 00:27:56,306 Casey Garrett had just presented her findings to state lawmakers, and the state 461 00:27:56,316 --> 00:28:00,915 had just notified Mystic that it hadn't complied with many of the new laws around 462 00:28:00,926 --> 00:28:03,286 youth camps in its application to reopen. 463 00:28:03,835 --> 00:28:07,815 Mystic's safety plan in the event of an emergency, including a flood, 464 00:28:08,195 --> 00:28:12,385 had been deemed insufficient, and it hadn't laid out where cabins were in 465 00:28:12,386 --> 00:28:14,515 relation to designated floodplains. 466 00:28:15,015 --> 00:28:18,635 The state gave Mystic the chance to amend its application and refile 467 00:28:18,706 --> 00:28:23,165 before the camp decided to close for the year, and Mystic wasn't alone. 468 00:28:23,525 --> 00:28:27,365 While the new camp safety laws had overwhelmingly passed, there were 469 00:28:27,415 --> 00:28:31,765 a few notable holdouts, including State Representative Wes Virdell. 470 00:28:32,015 --> 00:28:34,235 He's a Republican who represents Kerr County. 471 00:28:34,745 --> 00:28:38,595 Virdell argued that lawmakers had been so quick to pass legislation 472 00:28:38,886 --> 00:28:42,485 that they hadn't worked with camps to make sure the new laws were feasible. 473 00:28:42,845 --> 00:28:46,815 He pointed out that many camps were small, nonprofit, faith-based. 474 00:28:47,155 --> 00:28:51,816 In other words, they couldn't afford costly safety plans or new licensing fees. 475 00:28:51,865 --> 00:28:54,905 Wes Virdell: My honest opinion, I think that this bill was filed to 476 00:28:54,915 --> 00:28:58,465 punish Camp Mystic, and everyone else has to suffer because of it. 477 00:28:58,676 --> 00:29:01,275 Dominic Anthony Walsh: But his calls to change the laws before the 478 00:29:01,335 --> 00:29:04,125 2026 camp season went unanswered. 479 00:29:04,616 --> 00:29:08,865 Every camp that applied to operate for the season was told their emergency 480 00:29:08,866 --> 00:29:11,535 plans had not followed new state laws. 481 00:29:11,816 --> 00:29:14,836 They were each given a chance to amend their applications, and 482 00:29:15,085 --> 00:29:16,945 most were eventually accepted. 483 00:29:17,405 --> 00:29:21,695 But many camps either closed or scaled back operations to avoid 484 00:29:21,695 --> 00:29:23,305 needing to be licensed at all. 485 00:29:23,475 --> 00:29:25,206 Wes Virdell: I think this legislation has hurt camps. 486 00:29:25,206 --> 00:29:29,335 Over sixty camps, uh, are now out of business that didn't reapply for, 487 00:29:29,375 --> 00:29:33,255 for a youth camp license, and we have about three hundred and sixty camps 488 00:29:33,256 --> 00:29:38,375 in the state of Texas, and the others are just barely, I think barely being 489 00:29:38,375 --> 00:29:41,535 able to meet the requirements because they're such an overstretch of what, 490 00:29:41,706 --> 00:29:43,325 what government's responsible for. 491 00:29:43,366 --> 00:29:48,232 Because of what happened at Camp Mystic, which is terrible tragedy, um- Now 492 00:29:48,232 --> 00:29:53,141 there's this idea that all camps are really unsafe and that we have to create 493 00:29:53,141 --> 00:29:56,202 this extreme, uh, requirements on it. 494 00:29:56,431 --> 00:29:59,262 Dominic Anthony Walsh: State lawmakers will meet again in 2027. 495 00:29:59,421 --> 00:30:02,351 Verdell says he'll push for changes to the camp legislation. 496 00:30:02,452 --> 00:30:05,981 Wes Virdell: I'll be filing a bill to repeal, uh, the things that I think are 497 00:30:05,992 --> 00:30:11,242 an overreach of it, including the, the up to $20,000 for a camp safety license, 498 00:30:11,281 --> 00:30:15,861 and, and we'll see, but honestly, I think the Texas legislature did a huge 499 00:30:15,861 --> 00:30:19,812 disservice to, to the state of Texas, and to camps, and to campers, and 500 00:30:19,812 --> 00:30:21,291 people that send their kids to camps. 501 00:30:21,752 --> 00:30:24,052 Dominic Anthony Walsh: He's especially upset about what he 502 00:30:24,072 --> 00:30:28,531 characterizes as an attempt by lawmakers to punish Camp Mystic. 503 00:30:28,851 --> 00:30:32,571 Wes Virdell: I think a lot of people, uh, expect perfection out of Dick 504 00:30:32,572 --> 00:30:35,621 Eastland and the East- Eastland family through all this, and, and 505 00:30:35,621 --> 00:30:40,661 I think in reality, all of us are not perfectly prepared for anything. 506 00:30:41,011 --> 00:30:45,601 The Eastlands, they lost, you know, not only their dad, but 27 other people 507 00:30:45,601 --> 00:30:50,311 they cared a lot about, and, uh, they're emotionally devastated with what happened 508 00:30:50,311 --> 00:30:54,232 to the people that they care about, and then now they have the weight of the world 509 00:30:54,241 --> 00:30:56,151 just telling them how terrible they were. 510 00:30:56,741 --> 00:30:58,811 Dominic Anthony Walsh: In late June, following a year of 511 00:30:58,811 --> 00:31:02,631 investigations and lawsuits, Camp Mystic filed for bankruptcy. 512 00:31:02,781 --> 00:31:05,772 It's unclear when or if it will reopen. 513 00:31:09,144 --> 00:31:13,184 I first sat down with Matthew Childress just before Thanksgiving 2025. 514 00:31:13,574 --> 00:31:17,474 Matthew, his wife Wendy, and their son Jack were about to 515 00:31:17,474 --> 00:31:18,813 head abroad for the holiday. 516 00:31:19,294 --> 00:31:23,234 Chloe would have been a freshman at the University of Texas, and 517 00:31:23,234 --> 00:31:25,434 her 19th birthday was in October. 518 00:31:25,904 --> 00:31:27,284 Matthew Childress: We're gonna be breaking tradition. 519 00:31:27,943 --> 00:31:32,733 Traditionally, we would be with my family, and so we're gonna start, 520 00:31:32,763 --> 00:31:34,023 start creating new traditions. 521 00:31:34,023 --> 00:31:37,813 And so my wife, son, and I, at least for Thanksgiving, we're going to be 522 00:31:38,073 --> 00:31:42,803 going abroad to travel to create new traditions, because going back to our 523 00:31:43,174 --> 00:31:48,363 usual traditions here in Houston, here at our house with our family is maybe 524 00:31:48,364 --> 00:31:50,604 too hard of a burden to, to take on. 525 00:31:51,634 --> 00:31:54,034 Dominic Anthony Walsh: He told me that the pain is always there, 526 00:31:54,474 --> 00:31:56,833 interrupting the regular rhythms of life. 527 00:31:57,064 --> 00:31:59,963 Matthew Childress: You find yourself not thinking about it, which is great, and 528 00:32:00,084 --> 00:32:04,093 you're focused on positive things and productive things, but there's always 529 00:32:04,093 --> 00:32:08,453 this sort of dark cloud sort of waiting for you, um, that reminder that, oh, yes, 530 00:32:08,493 --> 00:32:12,043 this happened, and this is something that we're stuck with, that we can't escape. 531 00:32:22,764 --> 00:32:25,894 Dominic Anthony Walsh: Next time on After the Flood, we'll take a detour to a part 532 00:32:25,894 --> 00:32:30,944 of Texas that did not make national news after its own deadly flood last July. 533 00:32:31,184 --> 00:32:34,224 Brandy Gerstner: Having heard the night before all about Kerrville, 534 00:32:34,224 --> 00:32:36,853 and it was just loud on the news, and everybody heard it. 535 00:32:36,853 --> 00:32:40,613 And I'm thinking, "Well, surely somebody's gonna be here for us." 536 00:32:41,613 --> 00:32:43,444 But there wasn't. 537 00:32:43,683 --> 00:32:44,793 There was no one. 538 00:32:48,662 --> 00:32:50,482 Dominic Anthony Walsh: After the Flood is a production of the Texas 539 00:32:50,482 --> 00:32:52,362 Newsroom and PBS's Frontline. 540 00:32:52,892 --> 00:32:56,932 This episode was written by me, Ana Campbell, and Rachel Oster Lindley. 541 00:32:57,252 --> 00:32:58,902 They also edited this episode. 542 00:32:59,522 --> 00:33:04,272 Ana Campbell is our executive producer, and Elizabeth McQueen is our producer. 543 00:33:04,902 --> 00:33:09,662 Our editors at FRONTLINE are Erin Texeira and Mia Zuckerkandel . Our 544 00:33:09,662 --> 00:33:14,691 music is by Rene Chavez and APM and our audio producers are Casey 545 00:33:14,691 --> 00:33:17,111 Cheek, Jake Perlman and Matt Largey. 546 00:33:17,472 --> 00:33:20,982 Our multimedia editor is Deborah Cannon and Michael Minasi 547 00:33:20,982 --> 00:33:23,041 is our multimedia producer. 548 00:33:23,531 --> 00:33:27,882 Our fact-checker is Ena Alvarado, and our attorney is Thomas Leatherbury. 549 00:33:28,421 --> 00:33:33,221 Erin Geisler oversees our marketing, and our cover was designed by Maile Carballo. 550 00:33:33,802 --> 00:33:37,052 Corrie MacLaggan is the executive editor of The Texas Newsroom. 551 00:33:37,052 --> 00:33:37,551 Special thanks to Lauren McGaughy. 552 00:33:37,551 --> 00:33:42,041 The Texas Newsroom is a collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations 553 00:33:42,051 --> 00:33:47,341 in the state, including Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio 554 00:33:47,342 --> 00:33:50,571 in San Antonio and KERA in North Texas. 555 00:33:50,982 --> 00:33:55,002 This project received editorial and financial support from FRONTLINE’s 556 00:33:55,031 --> 00:33:58,572 Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. 557 00:33:58,611 --> 00:34:00,401 and James L. Knight Foundation.