Down but not out: Camp Anderson seeks help after tornado damage
Camp Anderson officials seeking donations, volunteers to aid in cleanup
John Roseberry (right) and Greg Bock assess damage caused at Camp Anderson by a July 18 EF0 tornado on Wednesday. About 100 trees were taken down by the 65 to 85 mph winds. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
The aftermath of a July 18 EF0 tornado is shown near the Andrew Shelter campsite at Camp Anderson. About 100 trees were knocked down, but no injuries or property damage was caused. Camp Anderson officials are seeking donations and future volunteers to help with the cleanup effort. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
One of the trees knocked down along Camp Anderson’s walking trail is shown Wednesday. Portions of the camp are currently inaccessible, closed off with yellow caution tape, due to safety concerns. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
John Roseberry (right) and Greg Bock assess damage caused at Camp Anderson by a July 18 EF0 tornado on Wednesday. About 100 trees were taken down by the 65 to 85 mph winds. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
The aftermath of a July 18 EF0 tornado is shown near the Andrew Shelter campsite at Camp Anderson. About 100 trees were knocked down, but no injuries or property damage was caused. Camp Anderson officials are seeking donations and future volunteers to help with the cleanup effort. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
One of the trees knocked down along Camp Anderson’s walking trail is shown Wednesday. Portions of the camp are currently inaccessible, closed off with yellow caution tape, due to safety concerns. Mirror photo by Matt Churella
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TYRONE -- If you drive by Camp Anderson in Snyder Township, you wouldn't immediately realize the camp was hit by a low-category tornado a couple weeks ago.
There's about 30 youth and close to 20 adults occupying the camp this week, with the kids having fun and completing various activities to earn merit badges, according to John Roseberry of Camp Anderson Corp.
On Saturday, July 18, however, there was no one at the camp, thankfully, as winds up to 85 mph knocked over about 100 trees, leaving several within feet of some buildings and campsites.
The National Weather Service declared it an EF0 tornado, Roseberry said.
While the camp didn't sustain property damage, the aftermath of the tornado remains, leaving about 80% of the campsites inaccessible until the camp's
leaders research and develop a cleanup plan, Roseberry said.
The camp's Andrew Shelter is "basically encased in" with fallen trees, Roseberry pointed out.
"When you look at it, it's incredible that building wasn't damaged because there's trees down all around it," he said. "One big one came down within a foot or two of it and didn't hit it."
The camp's dining hall, memorial lodge and 90-foot silver maple witness tree at its entrance were all unscathed from the incident, giving a perception that the camp looks normal. However, portions of the camp's walking trails in the woods are currently blocked off with yellow caution tape, due to safety concerns, Roseberry said.
"We are really blessed that none of our primary buildings got hit," Roseberry said, noting the camp is still open for business. While they haven't had to cancel any rental reservations, they have relocated people to other parts of the camp that are safer, he added.
"We're just being cautious of where we put them," Roseberry said. "We've caution-taped off all the areas that are more dangerous so people don't go there, but we're still able to host some rentals."
When the tornado hit, a few big trees were uprooted and fell over, taking out smaller trees with them, he said. Other trees in the restricted areas are still up in the air and leaning over.
The leaning trees pose the most danger to the camp and its visitors, and taking them down will be the camp's No. 1 priority in the cleanup effort, Roseberry said.
The uprooted trees are another concern for the camp, as cutting weight off the log can cause the root ball to spring back into place, Roseberry said.
"If they don't, we'll have to do something to take care of all these big holes in the ground," Roseberry said.
According to Roseberry, the National Weather Service determined the tornado started near Houtzdale before hitting the camp and later reaching the Spruce Creek area.
A number of professional loggers have visited the camp recently to assess the damage, he said, adding once they have gathered all the costs and determined what work can be done, the camp's property committee will decide how the cleanup effort will unfold.
"When the dangerous side is done and we're in the cleanup mode, I'd like to have a weekend where we have 20 or 50 people out here helping us clean up," Roseberry said, adding camp leaders will reach out to the public for help once they understand how much a logger will do and what work will remain.
Roseberry estimates the financial impact to the camp will be in the thousands. Depending on how much the contractor involved is able to do, the camp may have to offset the cost of a high-grade chipper so volunteers can mulch down as much of the lumber as possible, he said.
"If there's any donations that can be made in helping to react to this, that would be wonderful," Roseberry said.
Donations can be made online at www.campanderson.net via GoFundMe and PayPal. Checks made payable to Camp Anderson Corp. can be mailed to the camp, P.O. Box 221, Tyrone, PA 16686.
Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.