Camp Mystic chief health officer's nursing license suspended over flood response

Source: Houston Public Media

Camp Mystic chief health officer’s nursing license suspended over flood response

State regulators say Camp Mystic’s chief health officer abandoned campers and staff as deadly floodwaters rose.

Lucio Vasquez, Texas Newsroom | Posted onMay 21, 2026, 12:52 PM

The Texas Board of Nursing has temporarily suspended the license of Camp Mystic’s chief health officer, accusing her of failing to adequately prepare for — and respond to — the catastrophic Hill Country flood that killed 27 campers and counselors last summer.

An emergency suspension order filed Tuesday against Mary Elizabeth Eastland alleges she failed to develop emergency evacuation and shelter plans for campers and staff before the July 4 flood tore through the all-girls Christian summer camp.

The disaster killed more than 130 people across the Hill Country and prompted multiple lawsuits against Mystic alleging camp leaders failed to evacuate campers despite worsening flood conditions.

According to the filing, Eastland abandoned campers and staff as floodwaters rapidly rose, evacuating herself and her children to higher ground “without providing any assistance or direction” to others at the camp.

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Read more: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/texas/2026/05/21/552567/texas-camp-mystic-flood-nursing-license/