Senate committee advances omnibus disaster bill after hearings on camps, volunteers and warning systems

The Senate select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding advanced an omnibus bill Monday that would tighten rules for youth camps and campgrounds, require emergency-management training and drills, create a statewide data hub for flood gauges and weather stations, and set up a credentialing and volunteer-management system for disaster response.

Chairman Charles Perry, chairing the committee, said the measure is the product of weeks of hearings and field visits after July flooding that killed 138 people. “Senate Bill 1 is the primary product of the work we performed the last few weeks,” Perry said during the committee’s layout of the bill.

Why it matters: Committee members said gaps in local leadership, coordination and training contributed to the slow or inconsistent emergency response during July’s flash floods. The bill’s sponsors said the changes aim to give local officials clearer authority and minimum training so they make evacuation or sheltering calls earlier in fast-moving floods.

Key provisions - Campground safety: Youth camps located in the 100-year flood plain would have to adopt and practice a written flash-flood evacuation plan and provide it to local emergency managers; the committee substitute requires an annual full drill, not…