HOUSTON — Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country is planning to reopen this summer, nearly a year after deadly Fourth of July floods killed 27 campers and counselors and devastated families across the region. The camp is now facing a fifth lawsuit from a victim’s family, even as some parents say reopening without major changes feels painful and premature.
Among them are John and Andrea Ferruzzo, whose 19-year-old daughter, Katherine, died during the flooding while working her first summer as a counselor.
“Katherine loved frogs!” her parents recalled while working on a photo book, finding moments of focus and connection as they grieve. For the past decade, Katherine attended Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls in the Texas Hill Country. Last summer marked her first year as a counselor.
“Katherine died a hero. She gave her life trying to save those little girls,” Andrea Ferruzzo said.
The powerful floods last July Fourth killed nearly 150 people across the region, including Katherine, her co-counselor, and 25 Camp Mystic campers.
“We knew that change had to happen so that no other families send their children to camp, only to have their child returned in a body bag,” Andrea Ferruzzo said.
Camp Mystic to reopen
When asked how they felt about Camp Mystic reopening this summer, the Ferruzzos said the announcement was difficult to hear.
“Shock,” John Ferruzzo said.
“Very disrespectful. It just seems to me like it’s all just business, business as usual,” Andrea added.
Camp Mystic officials, however, say reopening could be a step toward healing for some families and survivors.
“If we do it right, then girls will have an amazing experience and they will gain so much being together,” said Britt Eastland, the camp’s director.
Turning grief into purpose
In the wake of their loss, the Ferruzzos founded a nonprofit in Katherine’s name to support special education, the field she hoped to enter. Katherine had planned to attend the University of Texas to become a special education teacher.
“By doing this work, which I know is what she wanted to do, being a special ed teacher, that honors her,” Andrea Ferruzzo said.
The foundation has raised more than $1 million to reimburse teachers for out-of-pocket classroom expenses. Volunteers also create sensory task folders—learning tools for students with disabilities—and deliver them directly to schools.
“Katherine liked everything big. So she’s going to expect it. And we’re really going to take this to the next level,” John Ferruzzo said.
As they continue delivering donations and meeting educators, the Ferruzzos say they see both the weight of their grief and the lasting impact of their daughter’s life.
One child remains missing following the floods.