A camp nurse left children behind during a deadly flood and now she has lost her license.
The Texas Board of Nursing suspended Mary Liz Eastland’s license after she admitted to leaving campers behind during a flood that killed 25 girls.
Parents send their children to summer camp trusting that the adults in charge will keep them safe. When that trust is broken in the worst way possible, the pain is impossible to measure.
Mary Liz Eastland served as the head nurse and chief health officer at Camp Mystic in Texas. Last July, the Guadalupe River surged into the camp grounds during a storm. The flood killed 28 people, including 25 young girls, two counselors, and the camp director.
Last week, the Texas Board of Nursing suspended Eastland’s license. The board stated she poses a threat to public safety. This decision came one month after Eastland admitted on the stand that she abandoned campers who needed her help.
What the evidence shows
- 28 people died in the July 4 flood, including 25 children.
- Eastland admitted under oath that she abandoned campers during the disaster.
- The nursing board found no proper emergency plans were in place.
- Eastland failed to report the 27 deaths to state health officials within the required 24-hour window.
- The board described her failure to report the deaths as a deceptive move to avoid accountability.
The bigger question
We have to ask why a facility catering to wealthy families lacked basic safety measures like a working loudspeaker system for evacuations. It is also worth asking how a camp director and a head nurse could fail to meet with staff to discuss a known incoming storm.
This tragedy was not just a freak accident of nature. It was a failure of leadership and planning. We need to know if the state is doing enough to inspect private camps before they open their gates to children each summer.
The other side
Camp Mystic released a statement calling the suspension a sad day for the nurse and the profession. Their lawyer says Eastland rejects the findings and plans to fight the suspension. Based on her own admission in court, this will be a very difficult argument to win.
What happens now
Families of the victims have filed wrongful-death lawsuits against the camp. These cases will likely drag on for years as parents seek answers about why their children were left in harm's way. For now, the camp remains under intense scrutiny as it tries to move past the disaster.
What we still don't know
- Why was there no formal evacuation order given to the campers before the water rose?
- What specific steps will the state take to ensure other camps have better safety protocols?
- Will criminal charges be filed against the camp leadership beyond the nursing board's actions?
Transparency notes
Published: May 25, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.