Dads of Camp Mystic victims push for safety laws 1 year after floods

The fathers of a camper and a counselor who were killed during last year's deadly floods at Camp Mystic in Texas said they'll keep advocating for improved summer camp safety to help prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy. 

Saturday, July 4, marks one year since the catastrophic floods killed more than 130 people, including 25 girls and two teenage counselors at the all-girls private Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. Matthew Childress' 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, and Ryan DeWitt's 9-year-old daughter, Molly, were in the same cabin when they died in the floods. 

That night now connects the two fathers – forever. 

"We all began to be driven by understanding the truth. What happened that night? What happened leading up to that night? What happened following that night?" Childress told "CBS Mornings." 

"At that time, even though I knew it was irrational, I felt that if I could put that timeline together, that I could save my daughter, that I could save these girls," he added.

Childress, DeWitt and other families of the victims have since helped drive legislative changes regarding camp safety nationwide. 

They've also sued the camp, accusing its owners of gross negligence. "These young girls died because a for-profit camp put profit over safety," their lawsuit alleges.

The camp is not the only entity being blamed, with the tragedy being attributed to multiple missteps, including that communities did not have outdoor warning sirens in much of the affected area.

Push to change camp safety laws

Investigators who looked into the camp's evacuation response during the floods concluded in a state report – released last month – that the camp did not prepare for the storm or have a plan to evacuate. It also faulted Kerr County officials, saying alerts and warnings issued by Texas' emergency management division were disregarded, and that county officials were "substantially absent from duty" and failed to effectively coordinate with summer camps before the storm.

Childress said the families "could physically feel the weight on our shoulders being lifted, that that truth was being told to the public." 

"Make no mistake about it, that doesn't mean that the road ahead is not still really, really difficult for us to be able to be at the leading edge of meaningful change," DeWitt said. "That keeps our daughters' purpose and their spirit alive."

That purpose led them to speak with legislators and advocate for camp safety — ultimately helping change laws in three states: Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama. In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed two new campground safety laws, including the Heaven's 27 Camp Safety Act. "Heaven's 27" refers to the 27 campers and counselors who died in the flooding. 

The Texas legislation requires summer camps to install warning systems, provide training for emergencies and strengthen communications for when there is no power or cell service. Cabins will also no longer be allowed to be built in flood zones. 

DeWitt told "CBS Mornings" he and Childress couldn't sit back and do nothing because if "this happened again for another father, another mother, … we would be reliving the pain with them."

In a statement ahead of the one-year mark of the tragedy, the family that owns and operates Camp Mystic said "the unforeseeable surge of floodwaters last July 4 far exceeded any previous flood by several orders of magnitude, and the state of Texas repeatedly failed to fund an adequate early warning flood system in the area."

"Camp Mystic remains committed to enhancing flood safety for the Kerr County community and for youth camps across the state," the Eastland family said.

New foundation seeks to prevent another tragedy

This week, the families of "Heaven's 27" launched the Safe Summers Foundation. It says it aims, in part, to get 27,000 parents to take a pledge to ask camps questions about how they are keeping kids safe. They're also raising money to fund safety upgrades and promote new safety laws.

Childress and DeWitt are on the organization's advisory board. 

Childress said the "Heaven's 27" families lean on each other. "In the good and the bad, and it really truly helps us all to be able to get through," he said.

He said he will keep pushing for safety laws as long as he can.

"A couple of nights ago, my wife asked me, 'How do I think this is all going to end?' I just paused and said, 'I hope this never ends,'" Childress said. 

"This job of safety is never done. So my hope is that what we've started will continue not only with our group but with a larger group nationally over time," he added. 

In:

• Texas