Credit: Friends of Tina Davis
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives last week passed legislation introduced by state Rep. Tina Davis (D Bucks) to require organized camps located on property at risk of flooding to create and submit evacuation plans to their county’s emergency management agency.
“We must do everything in our power to avoid having to face a heartbreaking tragedy like what occurred in Texas last year, when flash flooding suddenly struck Camp Mystic, a private Christian girls’ summer camp,” said Davis, D-Bucks. “The tragedy resulted in the death of 28 people, including 25 girls aged eight to ten.”
According to a Texas legislative investigation into the disaster that was released in June 2026, it was concluded that the camp lacked a written flood-evacuation plan, had not adequately trained staff for such an emergency, and failed to carry out an organized evacuation despite advanced flood warnings.
Under House Bill 2398, municipalities would require the operator of an organized camp located within 500 feet of a special flood hazard area to prepare and maintain a written flood-evacuation plan for the premises. Camp operators would then be required to file a copy of the plan with the Department of Health, as well as the county emergency management agency and local emergency management organization with jurisdiction over where the camp is located. They would also be required to review and update the plan annually before the camp opens each year.
Additionally, operators must post a diagram or summary of evacuation routes and safe locations in each sleeping and dining facility and provide a copy or summary to adult campers, parents or guardians of children, and youth campers before each camp season.
Both the Pennsylvania Camp Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects PA/DE Chapter support this legislation.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who supported this legislation, and I’m looking forward to working with the Senate to get this bill to the governor’s desk,” Davis said. “This is a highly practical, common-sense measure that would help reduce the risk of a tragedy similar to the one that occurred in Texas from happening here in Pennsylvania.”
House Bill 2398 now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.