At least 19 of the cabins at Camp Mystic were located in designated flood zones, including some in an area deemed “extremely hazardous” by the county.

For decades, Dick and Tweety Eastland presided over Camp Mystic with a kind of magisterial benevolence that alumni well past childhood still describe with awe.

Kerr County first tried to secure $1 million for a flood warning system in 2017, but could not. Could such a system have prevented loss of life on July 4?

The waters tore through the old buildings at Camp Mystic, sweeping away scores of campers and counselors or trapping them in their bunks. Thirty-eight adults and 21 children have been confirmed dead, but 18 adult victims and four children have not yet been identified.