As Tropical Storm Barry hit landfall this past summer, rainwater rushed into the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. This impacted tens of thousands of people, but it also impacted sophomore, Ann Katz.
Katz has been going to Camp Waldemar in Hunt, Texas every year since 2019; the beloved Texas hill country has been Katz’s home away from home since she was eight. This year, what was supposed to be a special, exciting summer turned into a nightmare on the Guadalupe River.
“On July 4, it flooded, and we ran out of power, water, and food because they had no generators in the kitchen,” Katz said. “All we had were Pop Tarts.”
As the day went on with no power and water, the situation at camp became more dire.
“Then on the fifth, we got on school buses and evacuated,” Katz said.
The campers were taken to the local movie theater where their parents picked them up.
“It was really sad to see everything in ruins on the drive to the movie theater,” Katz said. “Then, I was in the car driving to Dallas from the evacuation site at the movie theater, and I got on Tiktok and saw everything that happened, and I realized ‘this is pretty bad.’”
Since the campers were only there for six days out of the usual month-long term, the unique and entertaining activities at Camp Waldemar were cut short.
“All the traditions we usually do, like a talent show, war canoe —which is just a big canoe race— carnival where you get to dress up with your cabin,” Katz said, “we didn’t get to do any of that this year.”
Campers were devastated their summer at camp ended so abruptly because of the flood in part to the fact they missed out on their favorite traditions.
“I am grateful we have one more year left,” Katz said. “But I don’t think it’s gonna be the same.”
Across the world, there has been a push for camp safety, and after the devastation communities faced this summer, it has become a more personal issue to fight. Recently Texas legislation passed the Heavens 27 Camp Safety Act, which implements staff to have training, camp safety plans, and a mandate for cabins to be located in non-flood zones in order to host campers.
While we do not know what the summer of 2026 will look like, hopefully campers like Katz will be able to enjoy their last summer at camp with the same sense of joy and comfort they have had in years past.
