As floodwaters rose in Texas, camp counselors hoisted children onto rafters, carried them to dry ground and sang with them to keep them calm.

Camp Mystic has deep roots with Texas politicians, including former first lady Laura Bush, who worked as a counselor there, and former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who sent his daughters there.

At least 27 died in one of the worst disasters ever for summer camps. The tragedy shines a spotlight on America's camps and whether they're safe.

Glen Lake Camp & Retreat Center is among many summer camps taking a hard look at their emergency preparedness following deadly flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country. The Christian camp for kids in Somervell County, operated by the United Methodist Church since 1939, began reassessing its safety procedures after the recent tragedy.

When tragedies are in the news — natural disasters, plane crashes, fires — parents naturally and unavoidably react by thinking about what might happen to their own children. And children worry in turn about what might happen to them.

Generations of the same family have operated the summer camp since 1939. It counts family members of former president and governors as alumnae.

One local summer camp in the path of the disastrous flooding in central Texas was able to avoid any loss of life by closely monitoring weather reports.

The devastating floods that struck central Texas on July 4 have claimed at least 119 lives, with around 170 people still missing. The disaster has been severe in Kerr County, where at least 27 children lost their lives at nearby Camp Mystic.