Scout deaths prompt Ohio camps to review safety

Associated Press

The deaths of four Boy Scouts killed in a tornado in Iowa have prompted camp directors and Scout leaders in Ohio to review emergency procedures.

Tornado season runs from April through July in Ohio, which had 12 tornados last year, down from 27 in 2006, according to the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness, which includes county emergency management agencies.

“While I’m confident, I’m never complacent,” said Ron Green, executive director of the Simon Kenton Council of Boy Scouts in central and southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. “You can only hope to be perfect, whether you could control it or not.”

Wednesday’s tornado in Blencoe, Iowa, ripped through a camp where 93 boys had gathered for leadership training. The four killed were found near a building where they had taken shelter.

Camp volunteers and workers in Ohio have been reminded of what to do if a tornado approaches.

“We informed the staff of what happened and said, ‘Let’s go back through the policy and make sure you know what you’re doing, and yes, it does happen,’” said Anne Brienza, executive director of YMCA Camp Willson in Logan County, northwest of Columbus.

Camp workers are in contact with the outside through cell phones and get radio reports on the weather. Many camps have sirens that alert campers to go to shelters when a storm approaches.

Although youngsters at Camp Willson spend nights outside and might hike miles from base camp, they always are close to a designated shelter, Brienza said.

The basement of the facility’s conference center is underground on three sides and can hold more than 300 people. The camp also has outpost buildings with basements designed for tornado shelter, she said.

“Some kids will go on overnights during the course of the week, and sometimes when it blows in, they’ll either come back to main camp or, if they’re still out there, go to a basement built into a building,” Brienza said. “They should always be able to access shelter.”