by Cuero Online News
🕊️ Austin, TX — August 20, 2025 –In a day marked by heartbreak and resolve, families of the 27 young girls and counselors who perished in the catastrophic July 4th Hill Country floods at Camp Mystic gathered at the Texas Capitol to testify in support of Senate Bill 1 — a sweeping legislative proposal aimed at overhauling safety protocols at youth camps statewide.
The emotional hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding was the first public appearance by many of the grieving families since the tragedy. Their testimony was raw, powerful, and deeply personal — a collective plea to ensure that no other parent endures the anguish they now carry.
“We sent her to camp, not a war zone,” said Michael McCown, father of 8-year-old Linnie. “That trust was broken in the most devastating way. No one had to die that day.”
SB 1, authored by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), was crafted in close collaboration with the victims’ families. The bill proposes:
- 🚫 Banning cabins in designated floodplains
- 📻 Mandating weather radios and emergency alert systems in every cabin
- 🧭 Requiring evacuation drills, muster zones, and staff training
- 📄 Ensuring parents receive emergency plans and floodplain disclosures
- 🔁 Annual updates to emergency protocols and coordination with local emergency managers
Kerr County July 4, 2025
Among the voices was Lacey Hollis, mother of Virginia, a spirited 8-year-old cowgirl from Bellville who dreamed of becoming a saddle bronc rider like her grandfather. Through tears, Hollis described the “excruciating and unimaginable pain” of losing her daughter and urged lawmakers to pass “meaningful safeguards” for the tens of thousands of children who attend summer camps across Texas.
Cici Williams Steward, whose daughter Cile remains missing, spoke of the “torture chamber of uncertainty” her family now lives in. She recounted how generations of her family had attended Camp Mystic, never imagining the danger that would steal her daughter’s life.
“Obvious common-sense safety measures were absent. Protocols that should have been in place were ignored. As a result, my daughter was stolen from us,” Steward said.
The families have come to call their daughters “Heaven’s 27,” a name that now echoes through the halls of the Capitol as a symbol of both loss and purpose. Their testimony has galvanized bipartisan support for SB 1, which is expected to move swiftly through committee.
As one lawmaker put it, “We will never un-hear their stories. And their precious children will never be forgotten.”
https://metro.co.uk/galleries/girls-killed-in-camp-mystic-flood-disaster-pictured-alongside-heart-breaking-tributes-23610291/