Camp director killed during devastating floods whilst trying to save girls as at least 26 others dead
The director of Camp Mystic was tragically among those who lost their lives in the catastrophic Texas flash floods that began on Friday (4 July).
Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, a father-of-four and the owner of the Christian all-girls summer camp, died while heroically trying to save the campers from the rising floodwaters.
He is among the 27 confirmed to have died at Camp Mystic, with at least 10 of the young girls reportedly still missing, along with one camp counsellor.
Meanwhile, the total death toll in Kerr County and other areas surrounding the Guadalupe river is at 82 and is expected to continue rising.
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According to The Washington Post, Eastland was found alongside three girls he had tried to save from the rising water.
Camp counsellor Cami Wright, 57, told the publication: “He died trying to save Mystic girls. That was his whole life.”
She heartbreakingly added: “He was like a father to thousands of little girls.”
Eastland had reportedly been attempting to rescue the girls in the Bubble Inn cabin, which was located about 150 yards from the river’s edge. However, the water came in too fast and the director died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston hospital, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the Washington Post.
According to Texas Public Radio, Eastland's nephew, Gardner Eastland, also confirmed the death in a Facebook post on Saturday.
The publication also reported that his wife, Tweety, was found safe at their home.
Meanwhile, Eastland's grandson George wrote on Instagram: "If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for.
"That’s the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched."
The Eastlands together as a family have run and owned Camp Mystic since 1974.
According to the website, their eldest son Richard, manages the camp's kitchen and their youngest son, Edward, and his wife are directors of Camp Mystic Guadalupe River.
In a tribute to Eastland, The Kerrville Daily Times guest columnist Paige Sumner, said: "It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers."
She added: “'He was the father of four amazing boys, but he had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad. I would never have taken a fishing class if it wasn’t taught by my new friend Dick.”
Tributes have been issued for the director, who many of the campers saw as a ‘father figure’ while they were away from home, since the tragic news broke.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Camp Mystic has lost more than a leader. They’ve lost a protector, a father figure, and a man whose last breath was spent in love and sacrifice. His absence echoes louder than the flood itself.”
And aother paid tribute, writing: “He lost his life attempting to heroically rescue some of his campers before they and he were swept away in the horrific Texas floodwaters. Eastland was a hero till the very end. Honor him.”
Camp Mystic was located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, where the destructive and fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before sunrise on Friday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned that central Texas could see more storms within the next 24-48 hours and more flash flood warnings are in place.
Madison Burgess