Camp Mystic parents from Alabama seek stronger camp regulations
Campers' belongings sit outside one of Camp Mystic's cabins near the Guadalupe River, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Hunt, Texas, after a flash flood swept through the area.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — When Patrick Marsh returned to the Bubble Inn cabin at Camp Mystic, he sat in the corner where his 8-year-old daughter Sarah’s bunk had been. The view out the window landed like a gut punch.
Safety from the rising floodwater that took her life would have been just a short walk away, he said. It cemented his belief that the tragedy was “100% preventable.”
“From where Sarah slept to high ground where she would have been safe — 50 yards. All they had to do was walk up a hill,” Patrick Marsh said in an interview.
Sarah Marsh of Birmingham, Ala. was one of 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors swept to their deaths when floodwaters engulfed cabins at the Texas camp on July 4, 2025. Grieving parents pushed Texas lawmakers to approve new safety requirements for camps, including mandating detailed emergency plans and emergency warning systems. Sarah’s parents are urging lawmakers in Alabama and elsewhere to tighten regulations. Similar bills have also been filed in Missouri.
“As we learned more and more about what happened at Mystic, the more we realized there were a lot of things that went wrong,” Patrick Marsh said.
The Alabama bill, named the Sarah Marsh Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, will require camps to meet safety standards, including obtaining an emergency preparedness license from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and establishing emergency and evacuation plans. It would prohibit cabins from being located in floodplains. Camps would be required to have weather radios and a notification system that does not rely on cellular or internet service, which could fail in a natural disaster.
“The flood itself was an act of God, and there’s nothing you can do to stop the flood. But how you prepare for the possibility of flooding, how you handle it in the moment, those things were handled so poorly,” Patrick Marsh said.
Had they been done properly, he believes, “Sarah would be sitting in school right now.”
As they examined camp regulations, the Marshes said they were shocked by how little oversight exists compared with schools and other institutions responsible for children’s safety.
“It was a big surprise, both in Texas and here, to see how little is required and is just self-regulated,” Sarah’s mother, Dr. Jill Marsh, said.
Camp safety laws must reflect regional risks — from floods and tornadoes to wildfires and hurricanes — rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, the couple said.
The younger of two siblings, Sarah was exuberant, with an infectious mix of sass and sweetness, her parents said.
“She was just excited about everything,” Jill Marsh said. “She was always wrangling kids to play, to do gymnastics, to try something new. She was good at seeing people that were maybe left out or sad and would try to encourage them.”
She loved sushi — particularly California rolls — candy and, most of all, people. She made everyone feel special.
Sarah was excited to go camp that summer, Patrick Marsh said.
The photos from camp that summer show Sarah having the time of her life, often happily showing off her splits no matter the activity.
Jill Marsh spoke to the House State Government Committee on Wednesday. She said she wants Sarah to be remembered for her “incredible, beautiful life,” not just her death. But her legacy can be that children are kept safe as they experience one of the joys of childhood, she said.
The committee advanced the bill, which is backed by Gov. Kay Ivey, to the full House of Representatives.
Rep. David Faulkner, the bill’s sponsor, said the Camp Mystic tragedy exposed gaps in the safety system. “These gaps exist not only in Texas, but in Alabama and across the country,” Faulkner said.
The Marshes say the goal of the legislation is not to shut down camps or burden those already operating responsibly.
“We are not anti-camp,” Patrick Marsh said. “We want kids to go to camp and have these experiences. We just want them to be safe.”
They said many camps already meet the standards proposed in the bill, including comprehensive emergency plans and staff training. “It’s about making sure that last 10% gets on board.”
Nothing can bring their daughter back, they said. But they believe stronger oversight could save other families from the same loss.
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