Newly released images from inside a flood-ravaged Christian summer camp in Texas reveal the heartbreaking destruction left behind after a deadly surge of floodwater tore through the site, killing at least four young girls.
Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old retreat for girls nestled along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, was overwhelmed when water levels surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes following an early morning storm.
Photos taken in the aftermath show scenes of utter devastation — from crumbled walls and collapsed buildings to mud-caked clothing, overturned furniture, and stuffed animals strewn across the grounds.
In what was once a lively mess hall, shattered dishes and bottles lie in the dirt outside a gaping hole ripped into the side of the building.
Elsewhere, inside one of the camp’s cabins, soaked towels, pink and purple bedding, and scattered luggage are left coated in silt. Beds are overturned, and electrical cords snake wildly through the wreckage.
A dirt-stained stuffed bull, a twisted t-shirt, and a lone sandal sit abandoned on a stone step — silent symbols of the chaos and tragedy that struck while campers slept.
A thick line of mud clings to cabin walls, marking just how high the water reached. In some cases, floodwaters climbed above the tops of doors, trapping girls inside their bunks.
Among the victims confirmed dead from Camp Mystic are:
- Renee Smajstrla, 8
- Sarah Marsh, 8
- Janie Hunt, 9
- Lila Bonner, age not listed
They were among nine children killed across the flood-stricken region.
Rescue crews saved at least 858 people during the unfolding disaster, including eight who were injured.
The camp, which has operated for over 70 years and serves more than 750 girls between the ages of 7 and 17, straddles two sites along the Guadalupe — only one of which sits on higher ground.
At around 4 a.m., as most campers were still asleep, emergency flood alerts were issued. But the water rose too quickly for some to escape.
The site’s familiar landmarks — cabins, clotheslines, a mess hall, and even a wooden cross overlooking the valley — are now surrounded by debris and marked by mud.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the flooding the worst in the area since 1987.
As families grieve and the community begins the long process of recovery, the haunting images serve as a painful reminder of the storm’s deadly toll — and how quickly a peaceful retreat became a site of tragedy.
