A state district judge has ordered Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp where 27 people died during last summer's deadly flood in the Texas Hill Country, not to alter, demolish, repair or remove structures affected by floodwaters. It comes at the request of the parents of Cecilia "Cile" Steward, an 8-year-old girl who's still missing after being swept away at the camp.
The Stewards are among a dozen families suing Camp Mystic and its leaders for negligent behavior during and leading up to the Fourth of July flood. They argue the ruling is necessary to avoid the destruction of evidence as the camp plans to welcome more than 800 campers back to its property on the south fork of the Guadalupe River this summer.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, who has been assigned to the Stewards' case, issued a similar order last month.
"I don't think there's any language in there that stops law enforcement if they need to go on the property, whether for an investigation regarding this or something that happens in the future," she said. "What I do see is that you can't use it as a camp and you can't alter any of the structures or any of land that was affected by the flood until some future time."
The order does, however, allow some of the camp's staff to return to and reside in one of the affected structures, known as "Sugar Shack."
It also states the camp's leaders "owed a duty of care to Cile Steward and other minor campers, which they breached by operating Camp Mystic in a high-risk zone without adequate flood protections."
After a court hearing on Monday, Cile's mother, CiCi Steward, told KDFW-TV the state should deny the camp's application for a license to operate this summer.
"I believe now is the time for the state of Texas to step in and deny the license for Camp Mystic," she said.
The Stewards argue the camp's leaders could have done more to warn campers and counselors and move them to higher ground during the flood.
Three of the camp's directors testified in court on Monday and Tuesday about the event.
Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors and a defendant in the lawsuit, said the camp did not have a written evacuation plan, which is required by the state.
In the courtroom, the Stewards' attorney, Brad Beckworth, asked Eastland whether he wished he had an evacuation plan.
"We had that plan," Eastland said. "We were implementing that plan."
The attorney then asked Eastland, "You wish you had a written evacuation plan that everyone was trained in?"
Eastland said, "I wish we never had camp that summer."
On Tuesday, the camp director's wife, Mary Liz Eastland, who served as the camp's chief medical officer, told the court she didn't help campers because rushing water prevented her from reaching their cabins.
When asked by the Steward's attorney, Christina Yarnell, if she "abandoned" Cile, Eastland responded, "yes."
Outside the court on Monday, Cile's mother said the Eastlands' testimony proves the camp is not ready to reopen. "This is the same director of Camp Mystic that is asking 850 students to come join him in six weeks," she said.
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