Director of Camp Mystic Dies in Flash Flooding
Richard “Dick” Eastland, the director of Camp Mystic, also died in the natural disaster. According to reports, he had tried to save campers but died in a helicopter while being transported to a hospital.
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“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,” wrote grandson George Eastland in an Instagram tribute. “Although I am devastated,” he told his grandfather, “I can’t say I’m surprised that you sacrificed your life with the hopes of someone else’s being saved.”
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly called Camp Mystic’s owners “some of the finest, most conscientious people I know.”
Jenna Bush Hager concurred, describing the Eastland family as “Texas royalty.” On Monday she said, “They raised so many girls. So many of my friends said he was their summer father. He looked out for campers. He raised girls to be brave and loving. His legacy will live on.”
Additional rain is expected this week near the flood-prone area. In 1987, 10 campers from another local Christian camp drowned while evacuating floodwaters via bus.
In the aftermath of last weekend’s flooding, local and national officials are addressing concerns about the disaster warning system and evacuation procedures. Sen. Ted Cruz, who said he recently picked up his daughter from another Texas summer camp, urged people to avoid “partisan finger-pointing and attacks.”
President Trump, who made a disaster-area declaration, said the Coast Guard and other rescue personnel had saved more than 850 people during the holiday weekend. Trump is expected to visit Central Texas on July 11.
