Campers near Lincoln keeping an eye on Fourth of July storms
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Over the Fourth of July holiday, many are breaking out the recreational vehicle, hitting the water and enjoying their day out at the lake.
But this year’s holiday celebration could be shortened by strong storms.
“Hopefully it doesn’t get too crazy, or, you know, that that would be kind of sucky,” said Ted Wheatley, who was camping with family at Branched Oak Lake on Wednesday. “If anything, we will stay in the camper and go to my parents’ place.”
If severe weather hits, campers should retreat to their cars, tents or RVs.
Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said his main concern at Branched Oak is the lack of shelters.
There is a restroom/shower facility, but he said it can fill up quickly in an emergency.
“It would be crowded probably instantaneously as people start to go in there,” Houchin said.
He said it’s important to keep an eye on the weather and create a plan.
“Not just this weekend, but all weekends,” Houchin said. “And if it is supposed to get bad, sometimes it’s better to just take this week off and go do it another week.”
Severe weather could also affect response times for first responders.
“If you’re stuck, believe it or not, we can get stuck, too,” Houchin said.
The sheriff’s office has specialized equipment to get to hard-to-reach areas, but he said in severe weather, it could take an hour.
Campers said they are monitoring the weather but aren’t too concerned about conditions.
“We have been here for two weeks now, and we have already experienced some fun stuff,” Jason Gayed said. “And we saw some stuff go across the lawn, but it wasn’t a big deal.”
The Wheatleys will head to their pop-up camper if weather hits.
“But if it’s anything major like a couple days ago, we might have to load up and go home, which is only like 20 minutes away from here,” Samantha Wheatley said.
