Camp Mystic Reopens 2027 Despite 28 Deaths in Flooding Disaster

A Texas summer camp that lost 28 people—including 25 young campers—in a catastrophic flash flood just over a year ago is planning to welcome families back in 2027. And here’s the part that might make you do a double-take: parents are already putting down deposits. Over $1 million in camper deposits and prepaid tuition are sitting in Camp Mystic’s accounts right now, according to bankruptcy documents filed by Karen Nicolaou, the camp’s proposed chief restructuring officer.

The 99-year-old Camp Mystic, situated along the Guadalupe River, never evacuated when the floods hit last July. In what unfolded like a nightmare, the river more than doubled in height within an hour during torrential rainfall, leaving the property devastated and countless families shattered. The camp’s emergency plan had been approved just days before the disaster struck. Photos and videos captured campers having the time of their lives mere hours before the water came.

Now, in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings, camp officials are seeking court approval to use their existing cash management systems to keep operations moving forward. The financial filing notes that some families have explicitly agreed to let the camp hold their money for the hoped-for 2027 season since the facility wasn’t operational this year. It’s a striking vote of confidence—or perhaps a complicated expression of grief—from parents who are apparently willing to trust the camp again.

The question hanging over all of this isn’t really about logistics or bankruptcy restructuring. It’s about whether a place can truly come back from something this devastating. Whether families can feel safe returning to the same location where tragedy struck. And whether reopening is actually about recovery, or something else entirely.