Call it sage wisdom or common sense, we’re often told to focus only on the things that lie within our realm of control, rather than the factors we clearly cannot control. While natural disasters are beyond our control, we thankfully do have full agency over how we prepare for these worst case scenarios. In this blog post, we summarize the essential emergency preparedness and disaster response factors that every campground operator should not only familiarize themselves with, but ultimately adapt into plans of action for their specific properties.

Fellow operators and Campspot customers Ely Rosario and Courtney Belmont also share with us their firsthand experience dealing with natural disasters. 

Not If, But When Disaster Strikes

Courtney Belmont is general manager of Greenbrier Campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Ely Rosario is business manager at Jackson Properties, which manages off-campus student housing in Tallahassee as well as camp resorts throughout Florida. Both managers have personally experienced natural disasters at their properties, ranging from flash flooding and high wind threats to full-blown hurricanes.

Ely and Courtney admit there were years when natural disasters hit their properties early on where they had little-to-no preparations in place. ”Honestly, we were very naive in the sense that we didn’t really realize that hurricanes were going to be a threat,” Ely said based on one of their park’s typically sheltered locations in Florida. Working through past natural disasters has better equipped both of their teams to know what to expect and what to do differently moving forward. No matter where you’re located, the worst thing is to assume that it can’t and won’t happen to you.

Create a Documented Plan

You may feel ill-equipped to create a detailed evacuation plan or even an emergency response guide, and that’s okay! Thinking through the process and putting anything educated on paper is better than nothing. Courtney drew up her property’s plan starting with a basic property map and baseline questions: how to safely evacuate, who to call in case of an emergency, and what to do first. Curating this shortlist of online resources, key points of contact, and action steps well in advance of when you may actually need it will be reassuring to say the least. Set a reminder to annually update the plan and review it with your staff.

Your emergency planning measures should also account for seasonal differences, like months with historically high rainfall or frequent tropical storms. Ahead of each camping season, look into annual climate forecasting, such as El Niño and La Niña cycles. Get acquainted with the many resources available online through the National Weather Service to track shorter-term weather changes and advisories. While neither you or the experts can predict with 100% accuracy, it’s better to arm yourself with data to anticipate multiple scenarios. 

Know It Takes a Village 

The responsibility of emergency preparedness and especially real-time action does not fall solely on the shoulders of campground operators. The bottom line is to be genuinely tight with your community year-round so you can leverage one another’s support during the toughest of times. 

Here are some partners to consider collaborating with during the height of emergency and well beforehand: 

  • City commissioners
  • Police and fire departments
  • Your local chamber of commerce
  • State and federal agencies
  • State campground associations
  • Non-governmental organizations
  • Nearby campgrounds and businesses

Importantly, make time to appreciate those in your community who lend a hand during the process. As Ely said, “If you have the time to ask, you have the time to thank.” 

Hear directly from Courtney and Ely in the rest of our disaster preparedness webinar. 

Read Next: What Is Campspot Accelerator?

Communication Channels and Prioritization

“Communication is key,” emphasized Ely. This is doubly true in the case of emergencies. Here are several pathways to consider communicating before, during, and after a natural disaster: 

  • Who: your current guests, incoming guests, staff, supervisors or board members, local first responders, family members, and neighbors. 
  • How: text messaging, phone calls, email, social media, and in person.
  • Prioritization: target the areas of your property at the greatest risk based on real-time knowledge to reach those people and resources first.

Courtney and Ely both praised the ability to text their campers timely updates through Campspot. This two-way messaging tool is useful year-round for everything from marketing to emergencies. 

In the aftermath of a disaster, consider sending out a quick camper survey via text message or email to assess immediate needs in the park. This will be useful data for practicing emergency responses exercises and handling emergencies in the future.

Leverage Technology

Telecommunication advancements can help you stay one step ahead of the inevitable. When storms threaten internet and cell service, have the infrastructure in place to host a hotspot for everyone to connect to. In more severe cases, ensure your staff have backup radios to still reliably communicate on the go. At the very least, have contingency plans in place for contacting your staff and guests as soon and as efficiently as possible. 

Because Courtney’s property sits very close to a national park, she previously communicated with their emergency managers over the phone to know where water overflow from the national park was traveling. Since those days, their campground now has a warning system installed with automatic alerts triggered by the water levels at the national park. “It may only give us 10 to 15 minutes of lead time by the time the water reaches us, but that small window can still make a world of a difference,” said Courtney.

Read Next: What To Tell Your Campers Before They Arrive

Focus on Your Locus of Control

Although there are climate resiliency measures you can implement, you’re more often limited in how much you can change your property. While Courtney’s team was able to build up some of their riverbanking, they actively focus much more energy on preparedness. After one particularly bad flood, Courtney decided to move their riverfront sites indefinitely, which shrunk the park’s total number of sites by 20. Ultimately, guest safety and peace of mind won out. The stress of flash flooding and risk of it striking at night is no longer as worrisome, even as Courtney’s property continues to experience high water to this day. 

If an upcoming reservation can’t be salvaged due to dangerous weather, consider issuing a direct refund or credit towards a camper’s future stay. Ely suggests this as the best customer service option in a situation that’s horrible for all parties. Through word of mouth, guests will go on to say, “Not only did they give me a refund, but I want to go back and support them,” remarked Ely.

Lastly, keep in mind the mix of both reactive and proactive actions you can take. Don’t be afraid to ask campers to move to higher ground mid-stay if there’s a high probability of flooding. Contact arriving guests if wildfires are reported nearby or a hurricane projection is on the horizon to see if they want to rebook. These proactive measures can save time, dollars, and lives in the long run.

To hear Ely and Courtney’s advice on staff training, handling insurance claims, and live Q&A with fellow campground operators, click here.

Haley Dalian is a lifelong Michigander who takes advantage of recreation throughout the state’s changing seasons—from snow skiing to scuba diving in the Great Lakes. A former Campspot marketing manager, Haley holds a B.A. degree in public policy from Michigan State University and an M.S. degree in sustainability from the University of Michigan. She is passionate about environmental stewardship, exploring the outdoors, and has never met a potato she didn’t like.