Camp Mystic Has a New Safety Plan, Will Reopen

Camp Mystic, the Texas girls camp where a July flood killed 27 people, has announced a new safety plan as it prepares to reopen next summer—though not at the site of the tragedy. The camp's Cypress Lake site, which is "completely independent" from the flood-stricken Guadalupe River site—which is still shuttered—will host 10-day sessions from May 30 to Aug. 9, reports People. The camp has introduced a series of new safety measures, including 100 flood-monitoring units and hand-held two-way radios for weather updates in each cabin. NBC News notes that the camp's internet will also receive satellite backup.

The goal, camp officials say, is to ensure rapid evacuations and keep parents and emergency responders in the loop. Stronger generators are also being added to keep power running in crucial areas, like the camp dining hall. Camp Mystic has acknowledged the emotional weight of reopening, calling it a "courageous step" in the healing process for many families.

The camp has promised a memorial for those who died, but that hasn't completely helped to mitigate pushback. "To promote reopening less than three months after the tragedy—while one camper remains missing—is unthinkable," the parents of 8-year-old camper Cile Steward, whose body still hasn't been recovered, said when the reopening plans were first announced in September, per ABC News. Enrollment for next summer's sessions has yet to open, with the camp set to offer tours of the Cypress Lake site starting in the spring.