New Flood Safety Resources for Camps, Campgrounds, and RV Parks
Catastrophic flash flooding struck the Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, ultimately killing at least 139 people in the days that followed. Among the tragedies of that long holiday weekend, the flooding at Camp Mystic claimed 28 lives — including 25 young campers, two counselors, and the camp’s longtime co-owner and director. In the hearings that followed, one fact became painfully clear: the camp had no comprehensive Emergency Action Plan in place.
ASFPM developed these two free resources to help ensure no camp, campground, or RV park is caught unprepared again.
Flooding Emergency Action Plan: A Developmental Guide for Camps, Campgrounds and RV Parks
Who it’s for: Camp, campground, and RV park owners and managers — along with the local floodplain managers and emergency managers who support them.
What it is: A practical, step-by-step guide for building a strong Emergency Action Plan from the ground up. The guide walks you through every component of an effective EAP: understanding your flood risk, assigning clear roles and responsibilities, choosing the right combination of detection and alert systems, setting specific triggers and expected actions, and keeping your plan current through regular review and exercises.
How to use it: Work through the guide’s five components in order, using the included scenarios, sample language, and “weak example/strong example” comparisons to draft your own plan. Whether you’re building an EAP for the first time or strengthening an existing one, this guide is designed to help you create a plan your camp can rely on when it matters most.
Model Floodplain Ordinance: Guidance and Draft Language for Campground Operations
Who it’s for: Local jurisdictions, floodplain administrators, and legal counsel responsible for floodplain regulations.
What it is: Draft ordinance language that jurisdictions can adapt to require Emergency Action Plans for camps, campgrounds, and RV parks operating in flood-prone areas. It addresses common gaps in existing floodplain ordinances — including missing definitions, permitting requirements, floodway restrictions, and minimum standards for what a compliant EAP must include.
How to use it: Review the model language with your jurisdiction’s legal counsel and floodplain administrator, and adapt it to fit your local ordinance structure and state law. This resource works hand-in-hand with the EAP guide above: while the guide helps camp owners build a plan, this ordinance language helps ensure that having one isn’t optional.
