Committee hears bill to require flood-disaster plans at campgrounds; DSHS oversight, civil penalties proposed

House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding members on Oct. 5 considered House Bill 19, introduced by Representative Darby, which would require public and private campgrounds located in flood plains or along waterways to adopt, post and annually update written flood-disaster plans and submit them for state review.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee the measure is “a starting point, not the finished product” and described it as a public-safety response to camps that lacked preparation during recent catastrophic flooding. Representative Darby said, “House Bill 19 addresses this critical safety gap by simply requiring campground operators to develop, adopt, and annually update written flood disaster plans for their facilities.”

Under the bill as presented, campground operators would: develop and adopt…