We didn't go to that district... I don't think (is that where New Belgium is located?)
We spent a lot of time hiking and in other areas but when we were in Asheville we went to the south slope, downtown and over to west Asheville. Those areas were very lively. I can't compare what it was like before.
Parking in the south slope area was a PITA so we just paid in a lot. Off of Haywood it was totally fine.
Speaking of Haywood and West Asheville, strong recommendation on Hole donuts!
Meanwhile, from the Kerr County web page, this smells of cooperation:
On a side note, I don't understand why county commissioners like this guy wouldn't take funding from the Biden administration:
https://richpaces.com/about/
https://www.co.kerr.tx.us/commcrt/comm2.html
Apparently Eastland was actively trying to work for solutions on the Guadalupe while possibly ignoring the risk to his own camp.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/11/us/camp-mystic-owner-warnings-texas-flooding-invs?Date=20250711&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1752231100&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin
Just came across this article that paints a picture of Eastland pushing for a solution on the Guadalupe. It looks like he was actively trying for a warning system (again). That said, it also paints a picture of the danger of Camp Mystic specifically and that the cabins were never moved.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/11/us/camp-mystic-owner-warnings-texas-flooding-invs?Date=20250711&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1752231100&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin
Seems like the North Fork was worse...
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/texas-guadalupe-flood-ai-data-map/
As for Heart o The Hills... https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-flooding-heart-o-the-hills-jane-ragsdale
I honestly don't know much other than the basics like the Guadalupe River being beautiful in that area and the Ingram Dam. Otherwise, neighbors of mine have a house out there... he sent me pictures from that night. They lost a pickup truck and a trailer. Their house was 36 feet above the river and the water came up to the front porch.
This is the FEMA definition of a Regulated Floodway and we've talked about many cabins being in the floodway. Someone here said that expansion of the camp inside of the regulated floodway took place in 2018 or 2019. So, now the question is... who approved the expansion? I know older cabins were in this area and probably grandfathered in but what about the new construction? I can't find anything anything about the expansion. I did see some regulations were put in place in 2020 but have no idea how restrictive they were. Also, did Kerr County have the incentive to stifle camps which brough much-needed revenue to the county? https://www.hccommunityjournal.com/article_e896fb60-6e8a-11e8-9faa-4b90402265f8.html
Found this as well - https://www.papercitymag.com/culture/texas-best-summer-camps-mystic-waldemer-vista/ - those camps looked beautiful.
THIS. I keep hearing people saying, "this hasn't happened to the Guadalupe up here in a long time" but everyone in these river communities knows what happened on the Blanco 10 years ago. We can't use ignorance as an excuse. They were talking about it in 2016. They just didn't like where the money was coming from and the inconvenience of sirens.
Yeah, this is where I am because part of me wants to ask so much "why"... why wasn't someone up earlier monitoring the situation? Why were cabins so low? But, at the same time, everything I've heard about the family from people on this board to friends two houses away was that they were good people with good hearts. They bear some responsibility but they are also victims. To me, if anyone bears even more responsibility and they certainly are NOT endearing themselves to anyone are the local and state authorities. Bad attitudes, finger pointing, evasiveness... they are the ones that left their community in a vulnerable situation. The victims ended up being the locals and visitors, the camp counselors and yes, even the camps, who were in many ways left to fend for themselves.