Month: October 2024

BREVARD, N.C. – SylvanSport CEO Tom Dempsey was making his way home Monday afternoon (9/30) from last week’s Elkhart RV Open House to his home and corporate headquarters in Brevard while the national news media was still covering a “devastating and fluid situation” in western North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina., Virginia, Georgia and Florida.

The region was reeling from the impact of Friday’s historic Hurricane Helene, with up to 1.5 million people without power and widespread communication issues. A vast array of towns were in need of immediate aid and continuing search and rescue operations. In fact, news outlets report as many as 138 lives had been lost by today’s press time.

Although he was able to chat with RVBusiness on his cell phone enroute to Carolina, Dempsey – in what amounted to a microcosm of what the entire region has been experiencing in the aftermath of what’s being described as one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history — was completely unaware of what he would find in Brevard or whether he could even communicate at all once he got home to his 35-employee towable RV manufacturing firm and wife Linda.

All this historic disarray, curiously, following what had been a rather productive Open House for the manufacturer of mid-size VAST travel trailers, GO All-Terrain (GOAT) popup campers, TRAILOFT Micro Campers and GO EASY lightweight trailers located in a 60,000-square-foot facility in the western North Carolina community of Brevard southwest of Ashville, which has been undergoing a 40,000-square-foot addition.

“Yeah, so we enjoyed a great Open House,” said Dempsey. “I mean, we worked with a number of new dealers and really enjoyed re-establishing with our current dealer base and visiting with a lot of our supplier friends up in Elkhart. So overall a great week there. And it’s ironic because it was a great week and then this storm hit Friday morning and we were getting ready to head back to North Carolina. So, our team’s travel was impacted and getting back into the area has been very, very challenging, but getting word from that area is virtually impossible.”

Quite a disruption for Dempsey and company, he agrees, as it has been for millions of others.

“Well, that’s putting it mildly,” said Dempsey. “The damage to the region and the community is catastrophic. So, the edges of our county where I and the number of my other associates live received over 30 inches of rain on Friday morning and earlier due to Hurricane Helene. We also had wind gusts of over 70 miles an hour up in that area. And so that kind of rain and wind has just not only impacted people’s houses, but all of the infrastructure into the region. So the interstate highway, Interstate 40, leading into western North Carolina is washed away and will be shut down for a very, very long time – similarly with some of the other main roads into the region. And then virtually all the secondary roads are severely damaged like major U.S. highways where landslides have taken out major chunks of the roadways.

“So, from all we can tell, everything’s virtually impassable,” added Dempsey. The region has no power, no water, no cell phone coverage, no internet. And there are a lot of people that are trapped in their homes due to fallen trees, etc., who have no ability to communicate. And so first and foremost, we’re working on trying to verify that all of our team members are accounted for and physically OK, and then we’re trying to assist with getting access to their houses so people can get out and make contact with the outside world. And then it’s going to be a long-term slog. The estimation on power restoration is in the magnitude of weeks, if not longer.”

Yet another unknown, he surmises, is the long-term effect on his company’s business.

“So, it’s going to impact SylvanSport’s business significantly,” he told RVB. “Our business is at a stop for the moment due to the impact on all of our associates’ here. So, I stopped in Ohio. I’m going on about a six-hour rerouted pathway to get down there and I stopped last night in Ohio and I’ve got a truck, so I loaded it with as much water, gasoline, food, pet food, batteries, all the stuff the whole community needs. I know it’s a drop in the bucket, but just trying to get what I could into the space. My wife is still trapped at our house, so I wasn’t able to make contact with her for four days because cell coverage for the entire region is down. There’s no internet, no cell coverage, no nothing.”

The best bet for those wishing to communicate with Dempsey after trying the phone he figures, is probably relying on email at [email protected].

Until things return to something like normal, Dempsey said he appreciated the opportunity to update the industry regarding his company’s current status.

“Thanks for letting me spread the word,” he added. “I appreciate the help of the RV community. That’s really what I just wanted to reach out and ask for the support, prayers from everybody at RVIA and all our good friends up in Elkhart.

The post SylvanSport’s Dempsey & Co.: Still in the Eye of the Storm first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.

Campground operators and industry officials are still trying to assess the full impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

What was known as of late Monday was that several campgrounds were destroyed and many others suffered varying levels of damage, including flooding and fallen trees. At least one campground death was reported. Scores of campgrounds in the storm’s path were without power and it was unknown when electricity would be restored or when they could reopen.

“This is the third time in 13 months that the Big Bend of Florida, specifically the Steinhatchee and Cedar Key areas, have received a direct impact, or were on the bad side of the storm,” Bobby Cornwell, executive director and CEO of the Florida RV Park and Campground Association stated in an email to association members on Monday.

“The storm surge and flooding was severe for coastal communities from Sarasota to Panacea. Tampa and Clearwater received bad flooding, and some parks are still under water in certain areas,  including Nature’s Resort in Homosassa, which had significant flooding. Power outages are sporadic, but power is being restored quickly in most areas.”

What was particularly unusual about Hurricane Helene was the amount of damage the storm inflicted after it hit the Florida coast and headed northward across Georgia and into the Carolinas.

“It’s devastating,” said Dee Witting, executive director of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, noting that search and rescue teams were still scouring mountain communities across the region late Monday.

Unlike typical hurricanes, which unleash their most significant damage when they first hit the coast, the remnants of Hurricane Helene brought as much as 30 inches of rain to the mountains of Carolinas after rampaging across northern Florida and Georgia, creating levels of flooding that had never been experienced so far inland before. Witting said many campground operators in mountain areas remain cut off from civilization late Monday, unable to travel roadways that have been blocked by landslides, fallen trees, floodwaters or other damage from the storm.

Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, N.C. announced on its Facebook page that the park had been totally destroyed. Witting said many parks have been affected by falling trees which blocked roads, damaged cabins and created other property damage.

“Most campgrounds are still without power. Many are without water,” Witting said, adding that she was working with CARVC’s lobbyists to ensure that state officials are aware of the damage suffered by campground and RV park operators and include them in emergency funding requests for recovery efforts.

Witting said she was aware of at least half a dozen campgrounds across the Carolinas that had suffered severe damage and that one person had died as a result of the storm at a campground in South Carolina.

Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), said its franchisees were still assessing the full extent of damage to their parks across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia late Monday.

“With more than 50 campgrounds in the storm’s path, the effects have varied,” O’Rourke said, adding, “We expect to have a clearer understanding of the overall damage in the coming days. However, we do know that our Asheville East KOA Holiday and Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey were among those severely impacted.”

O’Rourke said KOA’s priority is to support its campground owners, operators, staff, and their guests. “As many of our campgrounds in these states continue to assess the full impact of this devastating storm, our thoughts are with everyone affected,” she said. “We are committed to supporting our community and working closely with our campground owners and managers to aid their recovery during this challenging time.”
KOA campgrounds that sustained minimal damage—or were unaffected—will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, O’Rourke continued, noting that campers can visit KOA.com for more updates on specific campgrounds.

While many campgrounds suffered significant damage, others got through the storms with relatively minimal impacts, even in Florida.
Cornwell noted that most of the affected parks near the storm’s path in Florida will reopen soon.

“The areas of Perry and Madison, north of where the storm made impact, were hit hard by strong winds, but most of the parks in Madison came out ok. The Madison RV and Golf Resort is open, the Station RV Resort is open, and Ragan’s Family Campground
is expected to re-open on October 6,” Cornwell said.

Some companies with campgrounds or RV parks near the storm’s path said their parks were recovering quickly.

Five campgrounds in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee that belong to Spacious Skies Campgrounds, LLC were affected by the storm, but all of them were expected to reopen soon, according to Ali Rasmussen, the company’s CEO.

Affected campgrounds include:— Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.: The park is currently closed while area and property clean up continues.— Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects utilities to be back up within a week to 10 days. However, this park is accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.

— Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects those services to be back up within a week to 10 days. This park is also accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.

Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. and Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. had minor impacts, but both campgrounds are open and welcoming guests as clean-up continues, Rasmussen said. “Our priority continues to be the safety of our staff and guests. We are also doing whatever we can to support local clean-up efforts. We will likely have more to report in the coming days,” she said.

Parks that were an hour’s drive or more away from the storm’s path still experienced significant storm impacts, but they were much better able to bounce back after the storm.

Ho-Hum RV park in Carabelle, Fla. was about 60 miles west of Hurricane Helene when it made landfall. While the park sustained minor flooding, there was no lasting damage to the infrastructure at the park, which was able to reopen Sunday, Sept. 29, according to Scott Cleveland, marketing and market research manager for USA Camping Company, which owns and operates a dozen parks in 11 states. “The area was hit and lost power and cable, but overall the area is looking good,” Cleveland said, adding, “All beaches, restaurants, and local businesses are all open within a two-hour radius, including Apalachicola and Saint George Island.”

Advanced Outdoor Management (AOM), which manages RV parks across 23 states, also had a park affected by the storm. “Our South Carolina park, Lake Hartwell, got hit. They were out of power and WiFI for seven hours. They have trees down, but no major flooding, thankfully,” said Rachel Godbout, AOM’s chief operating officer.

Woodall’s Campground Magazine reached out to several other companies that have campgrounds and/or RV parks in the Southeast, including Equity LifeStyle Properties, Sun Communications and Camp Jellystone, but none had information they were ready to share as of late Monday.

The post Campgrounds Continue to Assess Impact of Hurricane Helene first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.