On July 4th, catastrophic flash flooding struck Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp in Kerr County, Texas, resulting in the tragic loss of 25 children and 2 counselors — a group now remembered as Heaven’s 27. Among them was Sarah Marsh from Birmingham.

This tragedy showed us that all Alabama camps need clear expectations around emergency planning and preparedness. Specifically, camps and families need to have clear expectations for safety plans. HB381 is named in Sarah’s honor and in memory of Heaven’s 27 to reflect a simple commitment.

The goal of this legislation is to ensure that Alabama camps have clear emergency plans, weather monitoring systems, flood safety protections, and communication protocols in place so that families can send their children to camp with confidence.

We can love camps and still learn from tragedy.