Camp Mystic Director’s License Suspended
May 21, 2026 – KERR COUNTY, Texas — The co-director of the historic Camp Mystic has had her nursing license temporarily suspended following allegations that she abandoned campers and staff during the catastrophic Texas Hill Country floods that killed 27 people last summer.
According to an emergency order issued by the Texas Board of Nursing, Mary Liz Eastland — who served as Camp Mystic’s co-director, chief health officer and supervising nurse — faces six major allegations tied to the July 4, 2025 flood disaster along the Guadalupe River.
The order accuses Eastland of failing to create adequate emergency plans, improperly handling medical responsibilities at the camp and abandoning children and staff as floodwaters rapidly overtook the property in the early morning hours.
The most serious allegation states that Eastland evacuated herself and her own children to higher ground around 2 a.m. “without providing any assistance or direction” to the remaining campers and counselors. The board concluded her continued practice as a registered nurse posed “a continuing and imminent threat to public welfare.”
The allegations have not been proven in court or in a final administrative proceeding.
The suspension marks the latest development in the widening fallout from one of the deadliest flooding disasters in modern Texas history. Twenty-five campers and two counselors died when torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to surge beyond its banks in Kerr County, an area long known as “Flash Flood Alley.” More than 135 people died statewide during the flooding event.
Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian summer camp for girls, has faced mounting scrutiny from grieving families, state lawmakers and regulators over whether camp leaders ignored warnings and failed to implement evacuation procedures.
Multiple lawsuits filed against the camp accuse operators of gross negligence and claim the facility lacked a written emergency evacuation plan despite known flood risks. Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick publicly urged state health officials not to renew the camp’s operating license for 2026.
During a legislative hearing earlier this spring, Eastland faced emotional questioning from attorneys representing victims’ families. In testimony referenced by state investigators, she acknowledged she did not attempt to rescue at least one missing child after evacuating.
The nursing board’s order also alleges Eastland failed to promptly report deaths to state authorities and improperly delegated medication duties to other camp nurses. A probable cause hearing is expected within weeks, with a final disciplinary hearing required within 61 days.
