AUSTIN — The Texas Board of Nursing restored the nursing license of Mary Liz Eastland but barred her from direct patient care after temporarily suspending her license in May over her actions during the deadly July 4, 2025 flood at Camp Mystic.
Under an agreed order issued Tuesday, Eastland cannot work directly with patients, including providing skilled nursing care, assessing patient needs, counseling patients or teaching. The order also requires her to complete six hours of training and disclose the restrictions to future employers.
The board said Eastland failed to maintain emergency plans before floodwaters struck the all-girls Christian camp, where 25 campers and two teenage counselors died. The order also stated that Eastland did not contact 911 or emergency officials during the flooding, failed to report the deaths in accordance with state administrative code and allowed camp nurses to improperly administer medication.
Eastland waived her right to a hearing and neither admitted nor denied the allegations, according to the order.
In April, Eastland testified during a court hearing in Austin that she had not officially reported the deaths to state health regulators. A prior suspension order issued in May described that failure as “deceptive.”
Eastland has served as the camp’s chief health officer since 2010, according to the board’s order.
In a statement, Camp Mystic attorney Joshua Fiveson said Eastland does not plan to serve again as a camp nurse.
“The families of all those lost to the July 4, 2025 flood will forever remain in Mrs. Eastland’s heart and prayers,” Fiveson said.
The order allows Eastland to petition the nursing board to lift the restrictions after completing the required training. The board may also impose additional supervision, education or other practice restrictions.
Eastland’s family has operated Camp Mystic for decades. Her husband, Edward Eastland, oversaw the section of the camp where the girls died during the flood. Dick Eastland, Edward Eastland’s father, also died while attempting to rescue campers.
Camp Mystic later abandoned plans to reopen one of its camp sites after criticism from Dan Patrick and parents of children who died in the disaster.
