As the search continues for the dozens of people still missing in central Texas after devastating floods pounded the region, the director of Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for giving his life as he attempted to save others.
As of Monday morning, 81 people are dead and 41 are still unaccounted for statewide after heavy rain lashed Texas, unleashing one of the deadliest floods in the United States in the past 100 years.
The greatest number of fatalities occurred in Kerr County, where 68 people are believed to have died, including 28 children, officials report.
As CBN News reported, 10 girls and a counselor remained missing as of Sunday from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.
Richard “Dick” Eastland, the camp director and co-owner, is being remembered as a hero after reportedly rushing to save as many campers as he could before his death.
His grandson, George, confirmed Eastland’s passing in a social media post, which has since been taken down, sharing he died trying to save the campers “he so loved and cared for.”
The private Christian summer camp was hosting nearly 750 campers when floodwaters suddenly ravaged the campsite in the early morning hours.
The 99-year-old Camp Mystic has a rich history with camp attendees including political elites such as the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The facility was built in 1926, but Eastland and his wife, Tweety, bought the property in 1974 becoming the third generation of the family to operate the all-girls Christian camp.
On the morning of July 4, Eastland reportedly worked to evacuate young girls who were trapped in cabins inundated by rapidly rising flood waters.
The 70-year-old and five campers were swept away by rushing waters, but were later found alive a few miles down the river. Eastland died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post.
Former campers, counselors, and even politicians who knew Eastland honored him for his last heroic act.
“Camp Mystic’s Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, wrote on X. “For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you, Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you.”
Pfluger’s two daughters were at the summer camp, Fox News reports. The family has since been united.
Page Sumber, a former camper and friend of Eastland, wrote in the Kerrville Daily Times that the camp director was a father figure to many.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers. He had already saved so many lives with the gift of Camp Mystic,” she wrote.
Katharine Somerville, a camp counselor at Camp Mystic’s Cypress Lake location, told Fox News the father of four was one of the “most selfless men in the whole world.”
“He was an inspiration to so, so many,” she said. “He was a father figure, a comforting force in the uncertainty of everything. He guided us in our faith and our activities. He always told us to make new friends and to share our love with everyone.”
Tara Bradburn’s daughter has attended the camp since she was in the second grade.
“We brought her to Camp Mystic and turned her over to the Dick and Tweedy Eastland family and Camp Mystic and their staff because we knew they would love on our child. They would help her grow in her faith and live the Mystic ideals of being a better person and bringing out the best in her,” Bradburn shared. “We are so devastated by what has happened, but truly grateful and thankful to the Eastland family for all they have done and all they’ve given as a family to save the children that they could.”
She told the outlet that she is beyond grateful that her now 16-year-old has returned home safe.
“What the men and the staff and the Eastland family did to try to help everyone that they could – they are heroes. And those young girls and those young counselors that our young girls were under for the summer were remarkable and were brave and were strong and saved so many children and kept so many children calm so that decisions could be made to keep other girls safe and move them to safety,” she expressed.
Bradburn and much of the Kerrville community are holding onto the hope that the missing will be found soon.
Meanwhile, Camp Mystic staff members say they are “grieving the loss” of the 27 campers and counselors who succumbed to the floods.
“We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,” the camp said in a statement posted on its website. “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.”
Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation declaring Sunday a Day of Prayer in Texas in response to the flooding. He also warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more flash flooding.
“Texans are known for their faith, strength, and resilience,” he said in a statement. “Even as floodwaters raged, neighbors rushed in to rescue, comfort, and bring hope. In times of loss, we turn to God for comfort, healing, and strength. I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday—for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines.”
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