The following is a report from the Houston Chronicle.
They came with tents, campers and recreational vehicles hoping for a peaceful holiday weekend, but when the flood came and the Guadalupe River grew and scoured its banks, it was visitors to Kerr County who became some of the most vulnerable.
The dozens of people swept from campsites, cabins and RV parks, likely had little forewarning from campsite managers, or emergency officials who were also caught by surprise by the overnight deluge.
Of the 136 people confirmed killed by the flooding on July 4, at least 44 — or nearly one-third of the casualties — died while camping or staying at a campground in an RV or rental cabin, a review of reported fatalities shows. Of those, 33 were at or next to the HTR TX Hill Country Campground just steps from the river, where police and fire officials watched RVs float away in the darkness.
“We’ve got multiple people in the water,” a firefighter at the RV park warned before 5 a.m., saying they could not see or reach them. “We’re just hearing them verbally.”
That chaotic rescue effort is prompting lawmakers to act. Monday, State Rep. Drew Darby, a San Angelo Republican, filed HB 19. The bill requires campgrounds — both public and private — to develop and submit flood disaster plans. Darby said the bill is likely to change, including making the Texas Department of State Health Services the agency that would approve and maintain the emergency plans, but is a priority for lawmakers.
“It falls on us to protect Texans,” Darby said Tuesday during a hearing on the bill.
Today the “splintered” campground industry lacks both regulations and accreditations requiring posted weather warnings, advisories that campsites are in a flood zone or emergency plans approved by local authorities.
“I think more private campgrounds are going to be proactive,” said Mike Gurevich, owner of Cherry Hill Park in Maryland and a board member of the Outdoor Hospitality Industry, the advocacy group for campgrounds and RV parks. “But it would be hard for a national association to set rules for safety for everyone that fit everywhere.”
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