Following floods, Texas bill would address youth-camp safety

Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would put in place comprehensive safety standards at youth camps across the state, including requiring camp operators to have emergency plans for natural disasters.

The proposed legislation follows the July 4 flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country, particularly along the Guadalupe River, which resulted in at least 135 fatalities, including 27 campers and counselors attending Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the river.

S.B. 1, introduced Wednesday at a public hearing before the Texas Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, would no longer permit camps to operate if one or more cabins were located in a floodplain.

The bill applies to campgrounds of all types, including youth camps.

The proposed legislation would require camp operators to have formal emergency plans and protocols approved by the state. These include equipping each campground cabin located within a floodplain with an emergency ladder capable of providing access to the cabin’s roof.

Camp operators would also be required to maintain radios that can receive real-time weather alerts from the National Weather Service, install and maintain a disaster warning system, and monitor safety alerts from NWS and local river authorities.

The bill also mandates that camps train staff and volunteers on emergency procedures, create protocols for communicating with emergency responders, local authorities, and parents, and formulate evacuation plans.

Parents of the victims, who have formed the Campaign for Camp Safety, a coalition pushing for improved safety at camps in Texas, testified at Wednesday’s hearing.