Community volunteers restored Camp CAMP, a haven for disabled individuals, after July 4 flooding in Central Texas.
KERR COUNTY, Texas — A summer camp that serves disabled individuals has reopened after community members unified and repaired the property.
The campsite, known as Camp CAMP, is one of many located on the Guadalupe River, and sustained significant damage after the July 4 flooding in Central Texas.
Camp CAMP is a series of six-day sessions for children and adults, aged 5-55 years, with mild-to-severe disabilities. Their goal is to offer traditional summer camp activities with modifications to meet the unique needs of their campers.
The flash floods left the campgrounds located on the river covered in debris. Some of the property in that area of the camp was also damaged. Thankfully, there weren’t any campers present because of a break in the schedule.
Kevin Crawford, a realtor in San Antonio, said he woke up in horror to the flash flood damage in the Hill Country.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Crawford said. “I’ve seen hurricanes. I’ve seen a lot of different bad things, but I’ve not seen anything that widespread and devastating over that big an area.”
He contacted his friend, Cord Shiflet, in hopes of finding a way for them to help. Upon arriving to Kerr County, the duo quickly realized that supplies were not what the area needed at the time. They needed manpower and heavy machinery.
They stepped into action.
“We both jumped online to our social media following and said, ‘Hey, we need people. We don’t know what we’re gonna go do, but we’re gonna go help this family clean up,” Crawford said.
The community responded.
“By 8 o’clock the next morning, we were there and had 50 to 70 people,” he said. “By lunchtime, we were up over 100.”
The men and their team of volunteers restored multiple sites in Kerr County devastated by the storms, clearing areas and searching for missing flood victims. They worked alongside other volunteer groups and search and rescue teams.
“We had people showing up that we have never met before,” Crawford recalled.
The men were then alerted to Camp CAMP. Shiflet was told that the camp needed help.
“It was a very important camp for those kids,” Crawford said.
Shiflet led his team of volunteers and worked to clear and rebuild the area of the camp. With the help of the support teams, they were able to clean up trees, trash, and debris on the camp’s riverfront, as well as put together funds through Shiflet’s non-profit, CORDONATE.
The camp announced on July 14 that they were officially open for Session Six of the summer. In an effort to keep campers safe, the riverfront will remain closed for the rest of the summer.
“Because of your hard work, we’re one step closer to restoring our riverfront so our campers can get back to canoeing, fishing, outdoor cooking, and all the adventures they love,” Camp CAMP posted on Instagram.
In addition to Camp CAMP and Camp Mystic, there were other nearby camps impacted.
Camps Sierra Vista and Rio Vista also reported significant damage but confirmed all of their campers were safe. About 10 miles south of the Guadalupe River sits Camp Mystic – which was hit particularly hard. Officials have reported at least 27 confirmed deaths of campers and counselors along with ongoing search efforts for missing individuals.
Efforts by volunteers are continuing to be felt and seen in the Hill Country. Crawford said that it may be a while before relief can be felt in the area, but he is proud of the Texas community for rallying together in this difficult time.
“We’re gonna volunteer until they don’t let us anymore,” Crawford said.
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