Maryland summer camp keeps its guard up after deadly flooding in Central Texas
Safety and weather protocols are top of mind for parents and summer camp leaders following a deadly flood overwhelmed Central Texas. More than 100 people were killed, including at least 27 at Camp Mystic.
River Valley Ranch in Carroll County says it revamped its weather and safety plans within the past decade after a 12-year-old died and others were injured when a severe storm knocked down several trees in 2014.
"Devastating" 2014 deadly storm
Justin Diggs, 12, was crushed by one of the biggest trees on the property after he turned his back to help a friend.
"That was devastating for us, and it really made us reexamine everything that we do here," said Jon Bisset, the executive director of River Valley Ranch. "We have excellent protocols in place now to ensure that we can give the experience that the parents want for the kids, but at the same time keep them safe."
Flooding has camp on alert
Minor flooding also impacted the 73-year-old Christian-based camp this week, which closed some of the sidewalks and bridges for repair. Heavy rain on Wednesday caused a creek and the Gunpowder River to overflow their banks.
"We haven't had a flood like that probably in eight to 10 years," Bisset said. "It actually came up and was just crested this bridge. This is still a little bit up. This is not normally this strong."
No one was hurt, and minimal damage was done, but it was a bit of a scare as crews in Texas still search for missing people after historic flooding in the Lone Star State.
How does the camp prepare for severe weather?
Bisset says parents have been calling with some concerns, but the camp prioritizes transparency, frequently posting updates online and emailing parents when there is a weather and safety concern. It even alerted parents to Wednesday's flooding.
The camp also uses technology to monitor the quickly changing conditions, including a NOAA weather computer. It uses radios, a public address system, and text alerts to communicate with staffers in the event of an emergency, and it sends out daily emails with expected conditions.
The camp also focuses on weather training during the three-week lead-up to campers arriving.
"We have a NOAA Weather computer in our office that has live radar and lightning detection on it," Bisset said. "We send a daily email out that gives the weather, so we give a red, yellow or green code, just give them a heads up. What might the weather be today? We train them on everything we do, drills with them around weather safety."
Mother Nature can act quickly, and the camp says preparedness is key.
"You tend to think, well maybe it won't happen," Bisset said. "We've seen that it's happened, and we've seen it this week that it's happened. It's just a reminder, just stay true to what we have in place, and we can give both a great experience and keep kids safe at the same time."
