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After the Camp Mystic flood, journalists worked to tell a story shaped by grief and unanswered questions

Poynter · Amaris Castillo · last updated

During the Fourth of July weekend, independent journalist Danielle Villasana was away, looking forward to a break from the news cycle.

She heard early reports about flooding in the Texas Hill Country, but had no idea of the severity or scale.

Then the Washington Post reached out.

“That’s when I really realized that this was a massive tragedy,” said Villasana, who is based in Houston.

Before dawn on Independence Day, fast-rising floodwaters tore through parts of Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, set to mark its 100th anniversary in 2026.

 

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