Like every council, the Black Hills Area Council dealt with the 2020 COVID Pandemic by implementing health checks, social distancing, temporary office closures, and virtual events and merit badge classes. One unique event we held was Mountains Meet the Sea, a virtual camporee with the Gulf Stream Council in southeast Florida. We taught Mining in Society merit badge and they taught Oceanography.
In 2011, the Army Corps of Engineers needed to drain down the reservoirs on the Missouri River to accommodate the snow runoff from the Rocky Mountains. As a result, part of the capital city of Pierre, South Dakota and other cities along the Missouri River were flooded. As Lewis & Clark Scout Reservation sits on one of the reservoirs, it was also effected. Using strong organization and crisis management skills, we were able to relocate and re-engineer camp programs. Scouting continued through this crisis and became a stabilizing force. Local units also added activities and events which gave families something else to do, and relieved some of the stress that resulted from the flooding.
The Missouri River, on which the Missouri River High Adventure Base relies, was unavailable to users. Again we were able to meet the Scouting units' needs by relocating the planned program to another river unaffected by the flooding. Other program aspects were changed as needed to accommodate the crisis.
I have also dealt with major storm events during summer camp. One in particular, brought trees down and damaged 90% of our campsites. Trees were down all over camp, blocking roads and damaging structures. That night over 100 campers slept in our newly built storm shelter, because their tents were flattened and their sleeping bags were soaked. How did we get through the crisis? We kept our cool, were organized, had a plan, and executed our plan.