AUSTIN, Texas – The parents of the only girl still missing from the catastrophic July 4 flood that tore through Camp Mystic in Texas are demanding that the camp halt its plans to reopen.
Officials announced this week that they plan to reopen part of the camp next year and build a memorial to the 25 campers and two teenage counselors who died. The body of 8-year-old camper Cile Steward wasn't recovered.
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The reopening plan has drawn fierce complaints from some of the victims' families, who said they weren't consulted.
“To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy — while one camper remains missing — is unthinkable,” CiCi and Will Steward wrote to Camp Mystic officials in a letter released Thursday.
“We call on Camp Mystic to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials,” they wrote. “Instead, Cile must be recovered, and you must fully confront and account for your role in the events and failures that caused the deaths of our daughters.”
Camp Mystic’s owners include the wife and other family members of Dick Eastland, who also died in the flooding.
Camp officials indicated that they would move ahead with their plan to reopen part of the camp.
“Our decision to partially reopen areas of the camp is informed by our faith and our commitment to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,” the camp said Thursday in a statement.
Camp officials added that they welcome participation from the families as they plan the memorial.
The children and counselors who died have become known as “Heaven's 27.” The letter was signed by CiCi and Will Steward “on behalf of ourselves and other families of the Heaven's 27.”
It wasn't immediately clear if other victims' families participated in the letter. A spokesperson for the group said the letter speaks for itself.
The camp’s planned reopening would not include the area along the Guadalupe River from where the victims were swept away. That area, which was destroyed, would remain closed. An undamaged area called Camp Mystic Cypress Lake on higher ground would reopen.
Camp officials said are working to comply with new camp safety laws that were recently passed.
The families of the campers and counselors killed at Camp Mystic came together to urge the Legislature to pass a series of bills aimed at preventing similar tragedies in the future. They delivered powerful testimony before legislative committees, often accusing Camp Mystic operators of not being adequately prepared.
The measures prohibit cabins in dangerous parts of flood zones and require camp operators to develop detailed emergency plans, to train workers, and to install and maintain emergency warning systems. One bill would allocate $240 million from the state’s rainy day fund for disaster relief, along with money for warning sirens and improved weather forecasting.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Cile Steward's first name on first reference.