The Forest Service has issued its report on the flooding that took 20 lives June 11 at the Forest Service’s Albert Pike Campground. The news release summary is on the jump. It promises an “action plan” by Nov. 30 for a strategy to ensure visitors have sufficient information, to improve emergency response and evacuation plans and to provide further training for employees and volunteers on visitor safety.
The full report is here. It cites many failures, beginning with faulty decision-making in a 2003 construction project that built the campground where most people were killed. It also faults a lack of warning signs, inadequate communication capabilities, poor training of campground workers and lack of knowledge of Forest Service workers.
It recommends construction of a safety zone if all camping areas are reopened, along with warning signs, better communications and more training for all inovlved with the campground.
The report contains a detailed chronology of the harrowing night of flooding and day of body recovery and rescue and a dramatic account of the dogged work it took for the first local law officer to reach the scene.