Camps must comply with new state standards before opening for summer

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's been nearly a year since the deadly floods in Central Texas. More than 100 people were killed, including 27 from Camp Mystic in the Hill Country. Twenty-five campers and two counselors lost their lives.

The investigation into what happened is still unfolding, with some families pushing to make sure their voices are heard.

"We can't bring lives back, but we can, and we will do everything within our power to make sure something like this never happens again," one parent said.

To help prevent another tragedy, last year, just a few months after the flooding, Governor Abbott signed three new bills into law, tightening camp licensing rules across the state. Camps now have to submit detailed emergency plans, train staff and campers, and notify parents about flood risks, all while the state steps up inspections.

"I feel absolute and utter gratitude that my daughter somehow survived that night, but it is always weighted with the heaviness that others did not," one parent said.

Compliance with those rules is part of the annual license application to operate a camp this summer. ABC13 spoke with the founder of Kidventure, a Houston-based camp that supports the effort to improve safety, but says there could be challenges ahead.

"I'm all for it. I just think it needs to be a little more precise, and it needs to be differentiated between the day camp and the overnight camp world," owner Mike McDonell said.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, camps that don't meet emergency plan requirements have 45 days to fix them, and some operators feel that's a tight turnaround.

"I think the combined fee structure and compliance issues might either scare some operators off because they don't think they can make those happen, or they don't think they're going to make the deadline," McDonell said.