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Monday, June 14, 2010

Deadly flash flood in Arkansas raises questions about how remote is too remote

Many tourists to remote areas are attracted to such locations partly for their isolated nature, but after a flash flood in a remote Arkansas campground killed at least 19 people over the weekend, some are asking if that isolation is such a good thing. "The absence of a modern communication network made it virtually impossible last week to quickly warn campers of an approaching downpour, which led to flash floods that tore through the Albert Pike campground" in Langley, Ark., John Eligon reports for The New York Times. Bob Lewis, Langley’s fire chief, said constructing a cell phone tower near the campground had already been discussed, but "even instant communications may have proved inadequate last week." Eligon writes.

John C. Nichols, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman, said "The most effective warning system for remote outposts like this are old-fashioned face-to-face alerts," Eligon writes. "Law enforcement authorities and volunteers in the area are usually called upon to carry out evacuations." The rains came too quickly for adequate warnings last week and even the volunteer campground host found himself first fighting for survival. Federal and local officials say they did everything they could to warn campers of last week's flood, but acknowledged they would review procedures.

"People still like to get away," Capt. Mike Fletcher of the Arkansas State Police told Eligon. He said he did not expect the flood to deter outdoor enthusiasts: "This is a very rare occurrence. You can’t fight Mother Nature." Nichols added, "If you want the sensory overload, you go to Disney World. You can communicate with as many people as you want there." Sill others like Atlanta, Tex., native Richard Brown, who has a TV satellite dish on his Albert Pike cabin, favor more connectivity. "I don’t want to cut off from the outside world," he told Eligon. "I may be a hillbilly, but not that bad." (Read more)

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