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Summer camp temporarily closes for a week after lightning strikes dining hall

By Magdala Louissaint

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    TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — The generators are rolling in at Camp ASCCA after lightning struck the campground, knocking the power out inside the dining hall.

Camp ASCCA serves people 6 years and older who have intellectual and physical disabilities.

“Since we do have thunderstorms in the summer, planning for impact from storms like lightning is something we’re always aware of. We’re always prepared for,” Rickman said.

Dana Rickman, the director of development, says they followed their plan Sunday when a lightning bolt hit a poplar tree behind the dining hall.

She believes the current traveled underground, sparking a fire inside the breaker box.

The fire happened while campers and their families were checking in.

“We had two kitchen workers in the building, and we had some families doing part of the check-in in the dining hall, but they are okay, a little shaken up, but everybody was okay,” Rickman said.

It’s the second time this week lightning struck in close range of people. A boat caught fire on Logan Martin Lake. Three people were injured, and another is in the intensive care unit.

Back at Camp ASCCA, no one was hurt then, but it will take the camp officials about a month to get power back on in the dining hall.

Rickman says they’ve raised over $80,000 from donations to help with recovery, and a disaster response team offered their mobile kitchen for four weeks, so camp leaders can feed the new campers coming in next week.

“We hoped for a week or two and then we met with them yesterday and it’s been a Godsend,” Rickman said.

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