By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and MARIAM FAM Texas’ catastrophic flooding hit faith-based summer camps especially hard, and the heartbreak is sweeping across the country where similar camps

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.

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.

In 1987, sudden and intense rainfall caused the river to surge at an unprecedented rate in mid-July, leading to a tragedy that killed 10 campers at Pot O' Gold Christian Camp, a summer camp near Comfort, Texas. The campers drowned when their bus attempted to evacuate them and was overtaken by floodwater.

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.

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

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