Re: Everyone safe at YMCA Camps PineCrest after summer storm – August 4, 2006 7:29 p.m.

Source:  YMCA of Greater Toronto

For YMCA PineCrest campers registered next week:

• The two week session that is scheduled to begin on Sunday August 6th will be cancelled with full refund to families.
• The Adventure Leadership and Junior Adventure Leadership trips will run as scheduled.
• The Junior Leadership (one month session), Leaders in Training and Counselors in Training sessions will be re-located to YMCA Cedar Glen and will eventually transfer to YMCA Camp PineCrest when it is ready.

About 180 campers and staff were participating at YMCA Family Camp at YMCA Camp PineCrest, near Gravenhurst on Wednesday, August 2nd, when a summer storm blew through southern Ontario and swept through the camp. There were no injuries and everyone is safe.

YMCA staff evacuated campers to the main dining hall for the night as a safety precaution when power lines were damaged. One cabin and one teepee were damaged by falling trees. Power lines went down and communication was restricted to cell phones. Until early Thursday morning, fallen power lines blocked roads exiting the camp.

Staff from across our Association volunteered to clean up, provide much needed supplies, and remove fallen trees.  We greatly appreciate the patience and cooperation of the campers who were on site during the storm.

We have been informed by Hydro One and Public Health that until full power is restored to the camp, we cannot operate programs on the site. We anticipate this will happen within a reasonable period of time. Please continue to check our website for updates.

Hydro One is urging people to be careful around downed power lines, even if a line appears to be dead, and asks them to report the fallen wires to the utility. You can contact Hydro One  through their 24 hour hotline: 1-800-434-1235.