Dan Patrick seeks to block Camp Mystic’s summer reopening pending inquiry into July 4 flood deaths

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — The families of nine girls killed in the fourth of July foods in the Hill Country have filed a new lawsuit.

The families are accusing the Texas Department of State Health Services of issuing a license to Camp Mystic without making sure the camp had an evacuation plan.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick wrote a letter to the health department, urging them not to issue a camping license for this upcoming year.

“It would be naive to allow Camp Mystic to return to normal operations before all of the facts are known,” Patrick wrote to Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer Shuford. “Camp Mystic should have decided on their own to suspend operations this coming summer, but it appears they are planning for camp in 2026 and will likely be seeking your approval to operate with a renewed license.”

The lawsuit alleges the camp’s emergency instructions told kids to stay in their cabins during floods. 27 campers and counselors died when flood waters roared down the Guadalupe. The lawsuit alleges officials inspected the camp just two days before the floods.

On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services ABC13 told that they do not comment on pending litigation. Camp Mystic is not named in this lawsuit.

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The Texas Tribune have contributed to this report.