"Camp Mystic successfully appealed to remove several structures from a FEMA flood zone, despite being located in a high-risk flood area in Texas Hill Country." 

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved appeals from Camp Mystic to exempt several structures from a flood zone designation over a decade before extreme flooding in Central Texas swamped the Christian girls camp and killed 27 campers and counselors, according to FEMA records.

In 2013, the agency exempted 15 Camp Mystic buildings near the Guadalupe River from a Special Flood Hazard Area — a region where a “100-year flood” has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any given year.

Some of the buildings sat a few feet above the water level FEMA predicted that a severe flood could rise to, records stated. One building was several feet below the 100-year flood level.

The change meant the camp was no longer required to buy flood insurance for the structures. The FEMA records noted that other parts of Camp Mystic remained in a flood risk zone, which subjects construction in the zone to federal, state and local flood regulations."

Daniel Wu and Kyle Melnick report for the Washington Post July 13, 2025. [2]