Texas Camps for Kids Built in Flood Zones

 

AUSTIN, TX – July 7, 2025

A Disaster in Waiting: Texas Camps for Children Built in Known Flood Zones, Investigation Reveals

New Report Warns of Catastrophic Risk as Summer Camps and Residential Facilities Sit in FEMA-Designated High-Risk Areas

A sweeping new investigation has revealed that dozens of children’s summer camps and residential care facilities across Texas are built on land designated as high-risk flood zones, raising urgent concerns about safety, oversight, and disaster preparedness.

The joint report—conducted by investigative journalists in collaboration with a national disaster mapping firm—identified at least twelve facilities located in Special Flood Hazard Areas, as classified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These areas are known to have at least a 25% chance of flooding during a typical 30-year period, a risk that experts say is worsening due to climate change.

For the thousands of children attending these camps each summer—or living in long-term care centers—the findings are more than alarming. Emergency preparedness experts warn that a sudden deluge from a stalled storm system or a flash flood event could lead to mass casualties, particularly at facilities housing children with disabilities or complex behavioral needs.

“This is not a future risk—it’s an active, preventable crisis waiting to happen,” said Sarah Delaney, spokesperson for the National Center for Child Safety. “These children have no voice in where they are placed. To knowingly house them in documented flood zones is a profound failure of both planning and morality.”

The findings also raise major questions for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the agency responsible for licensing and monitoring these facilities. In multiple cases, the investigation found that permits had been issued for construction or operation after flood zone maps were already in place.

In response to the report, HHSC issued a brief statement:

“We are taking these findings very seriously and are launching a full review of the emergency preparedness plans for all facilities named in the investigation. The safety of children in care is our top priority.”

 

However, critics argue that paper plans are meaningless in the face of rapid-onset flooding, which can overwhelm evacuation efforts within minutes. The tragedy at Camp Starlight Meadows, where 28 children were killed in last week’s Hill Country flood, has already proven how quickly such scenarios can turn deadly.

The investigation also highlighted how lower land costs in flood-prone rural areas may have incentivized the placement of camps and care homes in high-risk zones, often without significant mitigation infrastructure in place.

With another active hurricane season already underway, the report has sparked calls for emergency legislation to require immediate relocation or retrofitting of vulnerable facilities.

“The question is no longer if these locations will flood—it’s when,” said Dr. Marcus Chan, a disaster resilience specialist at the University of Texas. “And the clock is running out.”

Related Questions and Answers

What are FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Areas?
These are zones with a statistically high risk of flooding—typically a 1% chance per year—requiring flood insurance for buildings with federally backed mortgages.

Why were facilities allowed to build in flood zones?
Experts suggest a combination of regulatory loopholes, local zoning leniency, and cost-cutting led to construction in cheaper, flood-prone areas.

What is being done in response to the findings?
The Texas HHSC says it will conduct a full emergency preparedness review, but advocates are calling for legislative action and possible relocation efforts.