2026年7月2日 / 美国东部时间上午10:40 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
在得克萨斯州神秘营去年致命洪灾中遇难的一名露营者和一名辅导员的父亲表示，他们将继续倡导加强夏令营安全措施，防止其他家庭遭遇类似悲剧。
7月4日周六，将是这场灾难性洪灾一周年的日子。当时的洪灾造成超过130人死亡，其中包括亨特市这所全女子私立基督教营地的25名女孩和两名青少年辅导员。马修·蔡尔德里斯18岁的女儿克洛伊，以及瑞安·德威特9岁的女儿莫莉，遇难时身处同一间小屋。
那个夜晚永远将两位父亲联系在了一起。
“我们都开始被探寻真相的念头驱使：那天晚上到底发生了什么？当晚之前发生了什么？当晚之后又发生了什么？”蔡尔德里斯在接受《哥伦比亚广播公司早间新闻》采访时说道。
“当时，尽管我知道这并不合理，但我觉得如果能理清时间线，我就能救下我的女儿，救下这些女孩，”他补充道。
此后，蔡尔德里斯、德威特以及其他遇难者家属推动了全国范围内有关营地安全的立法变革。
他们同时起诉了该营地，指控营地所有者存在重大过失。他们的诉讼中称：“这些年轻女孩的死亡，是因为一家营利性营地将利润置于安全之上。”
该营地并非唯一被指责的对象，这场悲剧被归咎于多重失误，包括受灾地区大部分社区没有户外警报警笛。
推动修改营地安全法规
负责调查该营地在洪灾期间疏散应对措施的调查人员在本月发布的一份州级报告中得出结论，该营地未为风暴做准备，也没有疏散计划。报告同时批评了克尔县官员，称得克萨斯州应急管理部门发布的警报和警告被忽视，县官员“严重擅离职守”，且未在风暴来临前与夏令营进行有效协调。
蔡尔德里斯表示，家属们“真切感受到肩头的重担被卸下，真相终于向公众公开了”。
“别搞错，这并不意味着我们要引领有意义的变革之路依然无比艰难，”德威特说道，“这让我们女儿们的目标和精神得以延续。”
正是这份目标促使他们与议员会面，倡导营地安全——最终帮助得克萨斯州、俄克拉荷马州和阿拉巴马州三个州修改了相关法律。今年9月，得克萨斯州州长格雷格·雅培签署了两项新的营地安全法规，其中包括《天堂27营地安全法案》。“天堂27”指的是在此次洪灾中遇难的27名露营者和辅导员。
这项得克萨斯州立法要求夏令营安装预警系统，开展应急培训，并在断电或无手机信号时加强沟通。同时，小屋将不再允许建在洪水易发区。
德威特在接受《哥伦比亚广播公司早间新闻》采访时表示，他和蔡尔德里斯无法坐视不管，因为如果“这种事再次发生在另一位父亲、另一位母亲身上……我们会和他们一同重温这份痛苦”。
在这场悲剧一周年纪念日前夕，拥有并运营神秘营的伊斯特兰家族发表声明称，“去年7月4日无法预见的洪水暴涨远超以往任何一次洪水的数倍量级，而得克萨斯州此前一直未能为该地区提供充足的早期洪水预警系统资金支持”。
“神秘营将继续致力于提升克尔县社区以及全州青少年营地的洪水安全水平，”伊斯特兰家族说道。
新基金会旨在防止悲剧重演
本周，“天堂27”遇难者家属发起成立了“安全夏日基金会”。该基金会表示，其目标之一是招募27000名家长签署承诺书，询问营地如何保障儿童安全。他们还将筹集资金用于安全升级，并推动新的安全法规出台。
蔡尔德里斯和德威特担任该组织的顾问委员会成员。
蔡尔德里斯表示，“天堂27”的家属们相互扶持。“无论顺境逆境，这真的能帮助我们所有人渡过难关，”他说道。
他表示，只要还能行动，他就会继续推动安全立法。
“几天前的晚上，我妻子问我：‘你觉得这一切会如何收场？’我停顿了一下说：‘我希望这永远不会结束，’”蔡尔德里斯说道。
“安全工作永远没有终点。我希望我们开启的这项事业，不仅能在我们这个群体中延续下去，最终能在全国范围内发展壮大，”他补充道。
Dads of Camp Mystic victims still pushing for safety laws 1 year after deadly Texas floods
July 2, 2026 / 10:40 AM EDT / CBS News
The fathers of a camper and a counselor who were killed during last year’s deadly floods at Camp Mystic in Texas said they’ll keep advocating for improved summer camp safety to help prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy.
Saturday, July 4, marks one year since the catastrophic floods killed more than 130 people, including 25 girls and two teenage counselors at the all-girls private Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. Matthew Childress’ 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, and Ryan DeWitt’s 9-year-old daughter, Molly, were in the same cabin when they died in the floods.
That night now connects the two fathers – forever.
“We all began to be driven by understanding the truth. What happened that night? What happened leading up to that night? What happened following that night?” Childress told “CBS Mornings.”
“At that time, even though I knew it was irrational, I felt that if I could put that timeline together, that I could save my daughter, that I could save these girls,” he added.
Childress, DeWitt and other families of the victims have since helped drive legislative changes regarding camp safety nationwide.
They’ve also sued the camp, accusing its owners of gross negligence. “These young girls died because a for-profit camp put profit over safety,” their lawsuit alleges.
The camp is not the only entity being blamed, with the tragedy being attributed to multiple missteps, including that communities did not have outdoor warning sirens in much of the affected area.
Push to change camp safety laws
Investigators who looked into the camp’s evacuation response during the floods concluded in a state report – released last month – that the camp did not prepare for the storm or have a plan to evacuate. It also faulted Kerr County officials, saying alerts and warnings issued by Texas’ emergency management division were disregarded, and that county officials were “substantially absent from duty” and failed to effectively coordinate with summer camps before the storm.
Childress said the families “could physically feel the weight on our shoulders being lifted, that that truth was being told to the public.”
“Make no mistake about it, that doesn’t mean that the road ahead is not still really, really difficult for us to be able to be at the leading edge of meaningful change,” DeWitt said. “That keeps our daughters’ purpose and their spirit alive.”
That purpose led them to speak with legislators and advocate for camp safety — ultimately helping change laws in three states: Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama. In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed two new campground safety laws, including the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act. “Heaven’s 27” refers to the 27 campers and counselors who died in the flooding.
The Texas legislation requires summer camps to install warning systems, provide training for emergencies and strengthen communications for when there is no power or cell service. Cabins will also no longer be allowed to be built in flood zones.
DeWitt told “CBS Mornings” he and Childress couldn’t sit back and do nothing because if “this happened again for another father, another mother, … we would be reliving the pain with them.”
In a statement ahead of the one-year mark of the tragedy, the family that owns and operates Camp Mystic said “the unforeseeable surge of floodwaters last July 4 far exceeded any previous flood by several orders of magnitude, and the state of Texas repeatedly failed to fund an adequate early warning flood system in the area.”
“Camp Mystic remains committed to enhancing flood safety for the Kerr County community and for youth camps across the state,” the Eastland family said.
New foundation seeks to prevent another tragedy
This week, the families of “Heaven’s 27” launched the Safe Summers Foundation. It says it aims, in part, to get 27,000 parents to take a pledge to ask camps questions about how they are keeping kids safe. They’re also raising money to fund safety upgrades and promote new safety laws.
Childress and DeWitt are on the organization’s advisory board.
Childress said the “Heaven’s 27” families lean on each other. “In the good and the bad, and it really truly helps us all to be able to get through,” he said.
He said he will keep pushing for safety laws as long as he can.
“A couple of nights ago, my wife asked me, ‘How do I think this is all going to end?’ I just paused and said, ‘I hope this never ends,’” Childress said.
“This job of safety is never done. So my hope is that what we’ve started will continue not only with our group but with a larger group nationally over time,” he added.
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