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Will Steward and CiCi Steward say the Eastland family, which has run the all-girls camp for decades, failed to protect Cecilia "Cile" Steward, who is "presumed to be deceased."

"On June 29, 2025, Will and CiCi Steward dropped their eight-year-old daughter Cile off for her first time at sleepaway camp, an entire month at Camp Mystic, where Cile's mother, aunt, grandmother, and countless cousins had attended as campers and counselors," the lawsuit says. "Cile's parents did not know that when they kissed Cile goodbye, it would be the last time they would ever hold her."

The Austin couple are seeking in excess of $1 million in actual and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Travis County.

Twenty-seven children and camp counselors were among the 130 people who died after slow-moving thunderstorms in Kerr County caused the Guadalupe River to flood on July 4 and turned a national holiday into a Texas tragedy.

The victims included Richard "Dick" Eastland, the owner of Camp Mystic.

"We believe Dick was trying to save a few of the campers," Lauren Garcia, a former Camp Mystic attendee, told reporters at the time. "I believe he passed while trying to save them from the flooding."

But the Stewards contend in the lawsuit that Eastland, and his son, Edward Eastland, waited for more than an hour before they tried to evacuate the girls from the cabins.

In addition, despite being in a flood plain and having a well-documented history of flooding, the Eastland family had a bare-bones emergency evacuation plan, and they repeatedly ignored the National Weather Service flooding alerts, the lawsuit says.

When the rains came, the Eastlands started moving some of their assets to higher ground, according to the lawsuit.

"They moved the horses. They moved the canoes. They did not move the children," the lawsuit says.

Even as water started seeping into the cabins scattered along the riverbank, Edward Eastland insisted the campers stay put and climb to the top bunks, the lawsuit says.

Edward Eastland wrongly predicted that the floodwaters would soon "recede," the lawsuit says. An at one point he desperately tried to pray the rain away.

"Lord Jesus, please stop the rain," he was heard saying, according to the lawsuit.

"But the water keeps coming," the lawsuit says. "The girls' trunks are floating as the girls huddle on two top bunks by the windows, terrified and desperate."

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The lawsuit names as defendants the camp and affiliated companies, Edward Eastland and three other members of the Eastland family, and William Neely Bonner III, who is president of Natural Fountain Properties Inc., which owns the land Camp Mystic occupied.

The Eastlands' lawyer, Mikal Watts, said they are "devastated by the deaths of our campers and counselors, and we continue to pray for God to comfort and support their families in their unfathomable grief."

But, Watts said, they "intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and unforeseeable, and that no adequate early warning flood systems existed in the area."

"We disagree with the misinformation in the legal filings regarding the actions of Camp Mystic and Dick Eastland, who lost his life as well," Watts said. "We will thoroughly respond to these accusations in due course."

The Stewards' lawsuit was filed after the families of 13 other campers and two counselors who died sued Camp Mystic and its owners in November, alleging "gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety."

In December, Camp Mystic announced plans to reopen this summer at its newer Cypress Lake location, which is, according to its website, "completely independent from the older Guadalupe River camp."

"The Eastlands are tone deaf to the realities of what transpired at their camp," the Stewards' lawsuit says.

The Stewards said in the lawsuit that Cile and two other campers managed to flee their cabin on an inflatable mattress. But Cile fell off the mattress and tried to swim "to the tree where the majority of the survivors were found."

"She was so close to survival," they said in the lawsuit. "She almost makes it."

But "the current is too strong."

"Cile is swept away," the lawsuit says.

The grieving parents were unsparing in their criticism of the Eastland family.

"The Eastlands now blame God for what happened," the lawsuit says. "They claim this tragedy occurred because of an unprecedented flood. The truth is that this flood was precedented."

The Eastlands, the Stewards said in the lawsuit, ignored "the warnings provided by Camp Mystic's history of flooding by claiming that the July 4th flood was a 1,000-year flood and the last time a flood like this one happened, Noah had to build an ark."

"That's not true either," the lawsuit says. "But even if it were, both Noah and the Eastlands were warned a flood was coming. The only difference is, Noah prepared. The Eastlands did not."

WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. will provide an extra $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba, the top ​State Department aid official said on Thursday, even as Washington has ‌stepped up efforts to block oil supplies to the Caribbean island nation, causing crippling shortages.

Aid official ‌Jeremy Lewin said at a news conference the new U.S. commitment would bring to $9 million the amount of assistance provided to the people of Cuba since Hurricane Melissa struck in October.

The aid is being delivered by the Catholic Church and Lewin said Cuba's communist ⁠party authorities had so ‌far not interfered with its distribution.

Cuba's deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio called the move two-faced.

"Quite hypocritical to apply draconian ‍coercive measures denying basic economic conditions to millions and then to announce soup & cans for a few," de Cossio said on social media.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Cuba will ​no longer receive oil from Venezuela after the U.S. operation to capture ‌its leader Nicolas Maduro last month, and has threatened to impose tariffs on other suppliers like Mexico if they continue to ship fuel to the island.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said earlier on Thursday his government would roll out temporary measures in the next week to deal with fuel shortages amid blackouts in several provinces.

Despite the ⁠U.S. moves on oil imports, Lewin argued that ​the humanitarian crisis in Cuba, which goes beyond ​the damage from Hurricane Melissa, was the fault of Cuba's government.

"It's because the government can't, you know, put food on the shelves ... They ‍let these government-run ⁠stores go completely empty. They're not stocked," Lewin said. "And so what you've had is a humanitarian catastrophe."

Cuba has long blamed the U.S. Cold War-era ⁠embargo, a complicated web of financial and trade restrictions, for its economic woes.

The Trump administration has ‌vastly ramped up those measures in recent months.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis ‌and Dave Sherwood; Editing by Sonali Paul)

(The Center Square) – A majority of Americans say cutting government spending is the best way to lower debt and costs, a new poll from the National Taxpayers Union found.

The nationwidesurveyof 800 registered voters was conducted from Jan. 12-14. The survey included 38% of those who self-identified as Republicans, 35% as Democrats, and 25% independents or unaffiliated voters.

According to the survey, 89% of those polled think the U.S. is facing an affordability crisis, while 88% say the $37 trillion national debt will eventually impact them and their families personally.

Pete Sepp, president of National Taxpayers Union, said in a statement accompanying the poll data that government over spending has consequences.

"Americans understand that the federal government's overspending has consequences, and families are paying the price," Sepp said. "Voters want leaders to rein in spending before the national debt and inflation do even more damage to household budgets."

The survey asked voters which options they prefer to reduce costs. A majority, 54%, chose cutting government spending; 32% said grow the economy; and 13% said raise taxes.

TheLos Angeles Ramsquarterback was named NFL MVP at the Feb. 5 NFL Honors ceremony. He beat out New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye by a single first-place vote.

Stafford was awarded league MVP after he capped off one of the best seasons of his career. The 37-year-old quarterback led the NFL and broke a Rams franchise record with a career-high 46 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions. Additionally, Stafford's 4,707 passing yards paced the NFL.

His 46 touchdowns are the second-most thrown in a single season by an NFL quarterback age 37 or older. He became the third player in NFL history with at least 45 touchdown passes and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season, according to NFL Research.

"He is the MVP. There's no ifs ands or buts about it," Rams running back Blake Corum toldUSA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. "The season he's had is ridiculous. The career he's had is just tremendous."

The regular-season MVP award is the first of Stafford's career. It's the most prestigious honor Stafford's received this year. He was also named a2025 first-team All-Proand selected to the Pro Bowl.

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Stafford's MVP adds to a resume that's worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Stafford helped the Rams win Super Bowl 56, he was the recipient of the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2011, he's a three-time Pro Bowler, a 2025 first-team All-Pro and now the 2025 NFL MVP.

Stafford was originally selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions. He's Detroit's all-time passing leader and holds the franchise record in passing touchdowns. Stafford was dealt to the Rams in a 2021 blockbuster trade with the Lions. Stafford quarterbacked the Rams to a Super Bowl title his first season in Los Angeles. His fifth year in L.A. is accompanied with an MVP.

"He's elevated everybody that he's around, but it's been really impressive," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "I wouldn't say I'm surprised though. This has been consistent for him over the five years that we've been together. I'm just grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be partnered up with him."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon.

Super Bowl VII ring: The Miami Dolphins beat Washington, 14-7, on Jan. 14, 1973.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVII ring: Washington defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, on Jan. 30, 1983.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVIII ring: The Los Angeles Raiders beat Washington, 38-9, on Jan. 22, 1984.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXII ring: Washington defeated the Denver Broncos, 42-10, on Jan. 31, 1988.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXVI ring: Washington beat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24, on Jan. 26, 1992.

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Super Bowl rings through the years

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Matthew Stafford wins NFL MVP by one first-place vote