Camp Mystic, the Texas all-girls Christian camp devastated by deadly floodwaters last year, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Wednesday — nearly a year after the disaster claimed the lives of 25 girls and two teenage counselors.
Court documents submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas, based in Houston, show the camp’s debt surpasses $10 million. The camp, which sits along the Guadalupe River, reported its total assets fall somewhere between $100,001 and $500,000.
In November, families of those who died brought a lawsuit forward, alleging that camp operators failed to take adequate protective measures as dangerous floodwaters moved in on July 4. Camp owner Richard Eastland also lost his life in the flooding.
In total, the deadly flood claimed at least 136 lives along a stretch of the river spanning several miles, prompting widespread questions about how such a catastrophic loss of life could occur.
The bankruptcy filing follows the camp’s recent decision to abandon its plans to reopen this summer. That reversal came after victims’ families and lawmakers expressed outrage that the century-old camp intended to resume operations while legal action and investigations were still actively underway.
