JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – As the 48th anniversary of the 1977 Johnstown Flood is commemorated this weekend, thoughts are also with the victims of the recent flooding in central Texas.
More than 140 fatalities have been confirmed from that disaster, with approximately 100 people still missing.
One of the worst tragedies of the Texas flooding is that at least two dozen campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls summer camp at the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek. That loss of life has gotten operators of some camps in the local region thinking about safety at their own properties.
Barbara Sauers | Scenes of Texas flooding evoke memories of Johnstown in 1977
Hearing about and watching the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas has brought back many memories of what it was like to go through something equally catastrophic – Johnstown’s 1977 Flood.
Brandon Jones, director of operations at Outdoor Odyssey, located in Boswell, said there is “constant worry when you’ve got other people’s children that you’re taking care of.”
“These things that happen, they make you look at other parts of your safety and what else do you need to make sure kids are safe,” Jones said.
“Some tragedy, like that happened at Camp Mystic, that should open your eyes to not just what would happen if a flood came through, but that makes me think: What would happen if you had a tornado? If you had other types of violent storm warnings?
“It makes us think about our planning and safety in different ways. I think that’s what it does for us.”
Search for missing in catastrophic Texas floods resumes in some areas after pause for rain
For a second straight day, rain forecasts hampered the search Monday for people still missing after deadly floods pummeled Texas, as officials made plans to drain reservoirs in the search for victims and lowered the number of people they said remain missing.
The flash flooding in Texas was caused by fast-moving water, including when the Guadalupe River rose 20 to 30 feet in a few hours near Camp Mystic July 4.
Similarly, a storm dumped almost 12 inches of rain onto Johnstown on July 19-20, 1977. Rivers and creeks rose and rushed, damaging property and killing more than 80 people. It was the city’s most recent major flood, following the St. Patrick’s Day Flood of 1936 and the historic 1889 Flood that killed more than 2,200 people.
“We know in the Johnstown area, when water comes, sometimes it doesn’t have anywhere to go,” Jones said. “You can’t do anything about it, but you have to react to things as quick as possible. When you hear those warnings, you have to take it seriously.”
‘Couple hundred kids’
Outdoor Odyssey offers various youth camps, along with activities for children, Camp Cadet participants, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps members, college students and veterans. About 75% of the activities involve overnight stays, according to Jones.
It is located near South Fork Bens Creek, but higher up on a hill.
“When we get serious rain, we get hit with water in buildings and through campsites and stuff like that,” Jones said. “It’s like a nuisance. It can be something that damages property, and we have some low-lying areas.
“But we don’t worry as much about people. The problem that we have when we have a couple hundred kids, let’s say – or less, or more, or whatever – on camp, it really comes from the danger of lightning that comes with those storms, heavy winds that can get trees going.”
‘Sweeping folks away’
Likewise, Camp Seph Mack, located in Penn Run, Indiana County, is near water – the Yellow Creek State Park lake – but also at a higher elevation.
“It’s up on a hill,” said Mike Daniher, director of field services for Laurel Highlands Council: Scouting America, which operates the camp.
“It’s elevated away from the water, No. 1. No. 2, it’s a lake, so we don’t have to worry about strong currents, flow of water sweeping folks away, unlike what you’ve seen at Camp Mystic, where it was along a river.”
Still, precautions – in accordance with scouting’s National Camp Accreditation Program – are in place to deal with water-related dangers.
“Obviously, if flooding was being experienced near the lake areas, then what we would do is we would move the campers to higher ground, up to our dining hall, which is really at a very high point of the property,” Daniher said.
“They would be alerted. We have an emergency alert siren in the camp.”