NJ summer camps assess safety measures amid deadly flooding in Texas
News 12 checked in with the Citta Scout Reservation in Ocean County, where warnings of bad weather are taken seriously.
Parents in New Jersey may be feeling concerned when sending off their children to summer camp, following the deaths of campers in Texas following severe flooding.
News 12 checked in with the Citta Scout Reservation in Ocean County, where warnings of bad weather are taken seriously.
Tornado warnings and lightning storms are certainly threats to the 150 campers living in tents and spending their days in the woods at the scout camp in Barnegat.
The camp director says the campsite is equipped with an emergency siren, which is regularly tested, a PA system and a dining hall to be used as a storm shelter.
Scoutmasters who work at the camp are also trained to use weather apps and how to deal with hazardous weather.
“We have some loud sirens that go off on the flip of a switch. We also, lastly, have radios which all of our staff communicates off of - it’s pretty hard to be out of the loop with so much ability to communicate,” said camp director Rich D’Allesandro.
This week, the camp's emergency procedures were put into practice.
Campers had to shelter in the dining hall when a tornado and storm warning were posted in Ocean County.
“Once we heard that in Whiting – Toms River area, there was some concern, we took the early precaution to get everyone over there," said D’Allesandro.
