After deadly floods last year, over 300 Texas summer camps await licenses to open

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Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics After deadly floods last year, over 300 Texas summer camps await licenses to open Texas has tightened standards for camps after deadly flooding last July. With summer camp season about to start, only nine camps are approved to open and more than 300 are awaiting their licenses. National After deadly floods last year, over 300 Texas summer camps await licenses to open May 17, 20268:15 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday By Leigh Walden After deadly floods last year, over 300 Texas summer camps await licenses to open Listen &middot; 2:42 2:42 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5813757/nx-s1-9773682" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Texas has tightened standards for camps after deadly flooding last July. With summer camp season about to start, only nine camps are approved to open and more than 300 are awaiting their licenses. Sponsor Message AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: It's been almost a year since flooding killed more than 130 people, devastating communities and summer camps in the Texas hill country. With summer break coming up, many parents want to send their kids to camp, and Texas is now mandating new stricter safety guidelines. But as KUT's Leigh Walden reports, more than 100 summer camps are still waiting for their licenses. LEIGH WALDEN, BYLINE: Danielle Landreth is an Austin-area mom. Last year, she sent her two daughters to summer camp for the first time, and they had a lot of fun. But that was before the floods happened. DANIELLE LANDRETH: We were very impacted by that just because I went to high school with one of the families that lost their daughter. And it's very sad and traumatizing as a parent, but I still didn't want to rob my children of this summer camp experience. WALDEN: Last year, the Guadalupe River rose dozens of feet in the early hours of July 4, impacting summer camps and other properties. One of those was a private Christian all-girls camp, Camp Mystic, where 25 girls and two counselors died. Landreth sees summer camps as a place where her girls can develop confidence and independence, plus make new friends. This year, she didn't want either of them at a camp near the river. Her girls, ages 8 and 10, are headed to camps to learn how to ride horses and to play sports. LANDRETH: I was kind of particular in where I was sending them, especially in reference to what kind of water access they would have. I feel very comfortable sending them and - especially now that legislation is requiring more safety measures. WALDEN: After the tragedy, the Texas State Legislature approved stricter safety regulations for camps, including mandates to annually update emergency plans and prohibit camps from operating in flood-prone areas. State Senator Charles Perry said the new regulations establish stricter warning levels. CHARLES PERRY: At the second level, you move to higher ground, you take almost 100% of the risk of being flooded in those low-lying areas off the table. WALDEN: One part of the legislation required camps to improve their communication systems, including installing fiber-optic internet. But earlier this month, the state government announced they would no longer be imposing the requirement. Landreth says she isn't worried because she trusts the emergency plans that the camps she chose have in place. LANDRETH: I feel pretty confident that they will be safe and educated and be able to handle whatever is thrown their way. WALDEN: Two state legislative committees continue to investigate the failures that led to the tragedy on July 4, 2025. From NPR News, I'm Leigh Walden in Austin. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. 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