A Texas judge has refused to close Camp Mystic, but the construction of barriers on the campus has been hit by flooding

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas judge on Wednesday refused to fully close Camp Mystic – the tragic site of the July 4 floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country last year – but prevented the part of the camp where the deadly floods occurred from being converted.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble heard testimony in a packed Travis County courtroom regarding a temporary injunction filed by Will and CiCi Steward, the parents of Cecilia “Cile” Steward, 8, a camper who died in the flood.

Gamble issued a temporary injunction barring an all-girls summer camp near the Guadalupe River from altering or renovating any building where they lived during the disaster.

He also ordered the closure of the old grounds of Guadalupe, where the floods occurred, including the commission, the meeting hall and the main office. However, areas outside of those areas can continue to be built.

25 girls, two counselors and the owner of Camp Mystic have died in a historic flood in Kerr County that hit the camp. Cile’s body has not been found.

More than 130 people in the region died in the disaster.

The stewards, who sued the camp’s owners and issued a restraining order last month, have asked that Camp Mystic not be reopened this summer to campers and that construction and renovations be halted to preserve evidence at the site.

In their documents, the Stewards revealed that they are being repaired and have started construction as the search for their daughter’s body continues.

“This request for urgent relief seeks to preserve the status quo and protect physical evidence related to why Cile Steward lost his life while entrusted to the care of the Defendants,” their filing said.

Gamble’s decision will take effect while the couple’s case is pending.

Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The courtroom was packed Wednesday with family members of the victims.

Edward Eastland, director of the Guadalupe camp at the time, testified as a defense witness. He told the court that some buildings have been repaired and renovated.

When asked about the tragedy, he said the children did not have walkie talkies in their rooms, he said the camp had security cameras but no one was watching the play at midnight when the floods started.

Brad Beckworth, a lawyer for the Stewards, said following the hearing: “Our request for a restraining order has been granted in full.”

“The only limitation is how we will deal with the commercial activity on the other side of the camp,” he continued. “But to be clear, what the court has decided is that the side of the Guadalupe River at Camp Mystic will not be reopened any time soon until we complete the due process of the trial.”

Will Steward praised the judge’s decision and said: “It was important to know that the judge understands, and the court understands that what we are trying to do is preserve the existing evidence so that we can understand, so that future campers will not be put in a situation like this.”

Mikal Watts, an attorney representing Camp Mystic and the Eastland family, who own the camp, said they were “very pleased” with the judge’s decision.

“He agreed that evidence of the Guadalupe River should be preserved, just as we provided … Part of what we’re doing tonight is working on dividing the building to keep the kids away from the Guadalupe River while they’re at camp this summer at Cypress Lake. We agreed to do that,” he said.

Watts said there were 853 campers as of yesterday signed up for this summer at Mystic’s Cypress Lake site, which he described as independent of the old Guadalupe camp.

When it announced its plans to reopen in December, Camp Mystic said it had taken steps to beef up security, including installing flood monitors.

Last week, the families of nine Camp Mystic flood victims sued the state, saying it failed to enforce a requirement that the camp have an evacuation plan.

And last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas sent a letter urging the commissioner of the Texas Department of Public Health to deny the camp an operating license until “all legal investigations are completed and any necessary corrective actions are taken.”

In response to Patrick’s letter, Camp Mystic said last week that its Cypress Lake facility “complies with all aspects of the new camp safety regulations.” It noted that the Cypress Lake area is not adjacent to the Guadalupe River and “there was no significant damage caused by the historic July 4 flood.”