Days after 27 campers and counselors died in a devastating flood at a Texas summer camp, Phil Barbash and his team at Camp Letts in Anne Arundel County began asking hard questions.

“It serves as a good reminder of just the weight of what we’re doing here,” said Barbash, vice president of camping and retreat center services. “And the amount of trust that our parents place in us to take care of their children.”

The July 4 flash floods in Texas’ Hill Country and a catastrophic water surge in Kerr County killed more than 130 people, including the 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. It marked one of the deadliest summer storm disasters in Texas history.

The tragedy sent shockwaves through the summer camp community, prompting camp leaders and parents in Maryland to reevaluate how prepared they are for severe weather.

Some camps, like Camp Letts, are revisiting their plans.

Camp Letts, affiliated with the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, sits on a peninsula in Edgewater and a small part is located in a 100-year floodplain.

With the help of the YMCA, the camp monitors the weather 24/7, Barbash said. When a storm is on its way, camp staff get the campers to a safe place.

The camp primarily stays in touch with its staff by cellphone. If that fails, they rely on more than 30 radios, he said.

The camp also makes a point to keep parents updated, mostly by phone.

“We make sure that they’re aware of anything going on with their camper and all the fun they’re having,” he said.

At the beginning of the summer, the camp trains its staff on safety protocols and how to share them clearly.

After the deadly Texas flood, Barbash said the camp is now looking at places in the area, like a local high school, where campers could be evacuated to in an emergency. He’s also working with local officials to plan what an evacuation would look like.

“We can only improve and continuously improve. And it starts with all of us working together to make camp the best, most fun and most safe place it can be,” he said.

Barbash said camps should prepare and not think that an emergency won’t happen to them.

“Complacency can be a big problem,” he said.

‘We are always evaluating’

Others, like officials at River Valley Ranch in Carroll County, say they’re confident in the systems already in place — but still looking to improve.

“We are always evaluating, and we’re always looking for ways to improve what we’re doing, but we are very confident in the plan that we have in place for weather protocols,” said Jon Bisset, the camp’s executive director.

The camp has a dedicated computer to monitor real-time weather updates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, he said. They also get alerts from NOAA when it announces a weather warning or watch.

To keep staff informed, the camp sends a text with an overview of the day’s weather and also texts them updates throughout the day, he said. The staff then updates the campers.

The camp also has 70 radios that staff can use, and a public address system.

In the weeks leading up to the season, employees go through training and test runs. Once campers arrive, they’re briefed by the staff on how to respond to different types of emergencies.

About a week after the deadly flooding in Texas, there was a moderate flood at the River Valley Ranch camp.

“We noticed that the rains were intensifying, and even before we got any kind of warning, we moved the kids to a different location and continued with camp,” Bisset said.

During that time, the camp kept parents in the loop.

“We texted them right when the flood happened and told them exactly what we did. We texted them again this morning to tell them an update on what had happened,” he said.

Megan Maines, a parent of two River Valley Ranch campers, said the camp’s staff are very proactive. One year, when her mom dropped her children off at camp, Maines got an email confirming they arrived.

“I’ve never experienced that, like with a school or anything, and that made me feel like, ‘Oh, OK. They know my kids, and they know where they are,’” she said.

Melanie Parker helps lead Camp Arlington Echo, which is affiliated with Anne Arundel County Public Schools and is “constantly” looking at forecasts to make adjustments to their camp schedule.

The camp contacts parents over text and email, including through the school district’s communication system, to keep them informed about severe weather.

What support do camps have?

The Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management has reached out to camps to discuss how the county can support them, said Preeti Emrick, the office’s director.

It will also host a workshop for camp officials in August to discuss best practices and concerns.

That includes helping camp officials understand the county’s alert system and putting them in touch with the fire and police departments.

She wants to “leave them feeling confident.”

Valerie D. Hawkins, director of the Carrol County Department of Public Safety, said her agency focuses on preparedness ahead of time, amplifying weather alerts during an emergency and helping connect affected camps with resources afterward.

River Valley Ranch’s Bisset said camps should prepare for bad weather.

“Make sure that you have systems in place that can notify you when those alerts happen, and that you can act on it quickly,” he said.

He also thinks camps should have a good communication system, so they can talk to the right people quickly.

“It’s not enough to have a plan if you can’t communicate that plan,” he said.

Maryetta Lynch, whose children have gone to Camp Letts since they were young, said a communication plan is important even if nothing bad happens.

Lynch, who is also on the camp’s advisory board, said she’s received texts like: “We moved everyone to the dining hall anyway, we didn’t end up having a storm, but we wanted to let you know that this was our plan, just in case.”