Severe weather safety and preparedness at Camp Geiger
ANDREW COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) -- Severe weather safety should always be a priority, an especially true statement when it comes to summer camps, where kids and young adults spend the majority of their time outdoors.
In visiting Camp Gieger, a long-standing Boy Scout camp just north of St. Joseph, I was shown the planning, preparation, and infrastructure that go into making this special place as weather-ready as possible.
Jim Beasley, who has the role of Emergency Management Planner at Camp Geiger, discussed their processes and protocols when it comes to severe weather monitoring and safety.
“So we monitor weather via satellite and other data from the National Weather Service constantly. If the need arises, we have the ability to warn all of our scouts and leaders here at Camp Geiger using a loudspeaker system that has different sounds. One for tornado warning, one for thunderstorm, one for lightning, etc.” said Beasley.
“We let them hear those sounds on Sunday night after they've arrived at camp. That way they know what the sounds mean and what they should do, should they occur,” said Beasley.
“Each campsite here at Camp Geiger has access to a tornado shelter, which is a safe place for scouts and leaders to gather in the event of severe weather or other incidents that might occur,” said Beasley.
Scout Executive, Alan Franks, provided a walk-through in one of thirteen shelters located on the property. The shelters, which are rated to withstand up to 250 mph winds, were part of a FEMA initiative when they were built.
“Back here is the open area. So this would technically be the shelter area. And yeah, you can get quite a few people in here. I don't know exactly. I'm going to go with probably 100, 150 people,” said Franks
Camp Gieger has not been struck by a tornado in recent history. Little Sioux Ranch, a similar Boy Scout camp tucked into river bluffs near the Missouri River north of Omaha, took a direct hit from an EF-3 tornado in June of 2008, injuring 48 people and taking the lives of four Boy Scouts.
The incident sparked awareness of Midwest storm shelters and FEMA projects, including this one, with a personal tie to the tragedy.
“One of the young men that tragically died in that situation actually camped here at Camp Geiger,” said Franks.
The thirteen-year-old scout’s name was Ben Petrzilka.
Franks explained, “The incident happened at his home council up in the Omaha area. But for summer camp experience, they would come down here and camp”
One of the tornado shelters at Camp Geiger was donated by the Ben Petrzilka Foundation Inc., a foundation started by his family to fund projects related to severe weather safety. The Little Sioux shelter is marked with a plaque in remembrance of Ben.
“This particular shelter up above has a plaque on it, in honor of walks with a great spirit. That was a nickname that this young man had,” said Franks
From tornadoes to other thunderstorm-related hazards, Camp Geiger is clearly committed to being a weather-ready destination for years to come.
