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More than two dozen children have died from the devastating flash floods gripping Texas' Hill Country, which is home to popular youth summer camps, including Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer program that holds deep roots with Texas politicians and presidential families stretching back decades.
Flash floods inundated Kerr County, Texas, and the surrounding area in central Texas' Hill Country early on the Fourth of July holiday. Warnings over the flooding were issued Thursday, but the devastation hit the area in the early morning hours of Friday, taking residents by surprise.
Kerr County, Texas, is home to a handful of youth summer camps, including Camp Mystic, a Christian girls summer camp established in 1926 by University of Texas football and basketball coach "Doc" Stewart.
At least 27 campers and counselors were confirmed dead, and the camp was devastated by the waters that flooded the Guadalupe River and tore through the surrounding communities, according to Camp Mystic's website.
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"Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster," Abbott posted to X Saturday. "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins."
The camp describes itself as one that focuses on promoting spiritual growth and bringing out the best in campers during their stays, according to its website.
"Camp Mystic is a private Christian summer camp for girls," the camp says on its website. "Established in 1926, Mystic is nestled among cypress, live oak, and pecan trees in the hill country of west-central Texas on the banks of the beautiful Guadalupe River. Mystic is located near the geographical center of Texas, 18 miles northwest of Kerrville. The staff at Mystic strives to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere in which they can develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem."
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Camp Mystic has long and deep roots with Texas politicians and their families, including former first lady Laura Bush, who worked as a counselor there while attending Southern Methodist University in her youth, and former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent his daughters to the camp.
Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, said in a media appearance on Monday that her mother worked as a drama counselor at the camp in her youth, while many of her friends attended the camp or sent their children to the camp.
"My mom was a counselor there, but also so many of my friends were raised at this camp," Bush Hager said on NBC's "Today" show Monday. "Texas camps are institutions, as you just heard, where were many family members — generations — this camp was 100 years old, so grandmothers, mothers, kids have all gone there."
"The stories that I heard over the last couple days were beautiful and heartbreaking," she said. "Texas has a type of resilience where they're generous people, where people want to reach out and help."
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The former first daughter continued that families flock to the Hill Country's summer camps despite the hot Texas weather because "of the love that's there."
"Texas camps are really special because you're thinking about 90-degree weather, no air conditioning," she added. "My kids are at camp in Texas, and my husband said, 'Why are we sending our kids to Texas, to camp? It's hot!' And it's because of the love that's there."
Former President George W. Bush released a statement on the devastation and death Sunday, saying he and his wife are heartbroken by the loss.
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"On this day of prayer, Laura and I are holding up our fellow Texans who are hurting," he said on Sunday of the tragedy. "We are heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling. Those who have lost their precious children are facing a grief no parents should ever know. We are grateful to the first responders and volunteers who are working to find the missing and comfort the grieving at Camp Mystic and along the Guadalupe. We know our words cannot help, but we believe the prayers of so many Americans will,"
The camp also drew multiple generations from former President Lyndon B. Johnson's family. A digital copy of Texas Monthly's May 1975 edition outlined that Johnson's two "daughters were also Mystic campers," while the Texas Tribune reported recently that the 36th president's granddaughters and great-granddaughters also attended the camp.
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The camp, across its nearly 100 years in operation, has seen multiple Texas political families take part, including former Govs. Dan Moody, Price Daniel and John Connally sending their daughters to the camp, according to Texas Monthly, while James Baker, who served as chief of staff to former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, also sent his daughter and a granddaughter to Camp Mystic.
Republican Texas Rep. August Pfluger’s daughters and Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter's granddaughters were attending the camp during the flooding and survived the tragedy.
The camp's longtime director and co-owner, Dick Eastland, was among those who tragically died in the floods while trying to rescue the campers. Eastland purchased the camp in 1974, Fox Digital previously reported.
"Camp Mystic’s Dick Eastland no doubt gave his life attempting to save his campers," Pfluger wrote on X of the death. "For decades he and his wife Tweety poured his life into loving and developing girls and women of character. Thank you Mr. Eastland. We love you and miss you."
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President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, Texas, and told the media he will likely visit the area Friday.
"These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing," Trump posted to Truth Social Sunday of the devastation in Texas. "The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State. Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!"
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"We wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way. Probably Friday," Trump added in comment to reporters from New Jersey on Sunday when asked about plans to visit.
Fox News Digital's Stephan Sorace contributed to this report.
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