Storm forces hundreds of Pathfinders to evacuate Cam-plex for the night

GILLETTE (WNE) — About 600-900 people from the International Pathfinder Camporee were relocated Tuesday night after thunderstorms swept through Gillette, and several local churches reached out to house Camporee attendees, housing more than 500 of the displaced.

At Cam-plex, 60,000 people are camped out for the Camporee, and many were evacuated from tents and moved into Cam-plex facilities during the storm.

No one was hurt from the storm, according to a report from Camporee media, but the weather brought damage to campsites and flooded certain areas. It also damaged the event stage, moving a large LED screen by 10 feet while also shifting the main left and right pillars of the stage.

The International Village, housing a variety of Pathfinder clubs from around the world, appears to have taken the most damage, with at least 40% of the international campsites wiped out by flooding, Camporee reports.

Both of Gillette’s Latter-Day Saints churches were able to house 420 Pathfinders between them. Clark Sanders, Stake President with the Latter-Day Saints church in northeast Wyoming, said that Pathfinders stayed overnight at both churches.

“We took as many people as we possibly could,” Sanders said. “Our process really was organizing our members … so some people had a place to bed down … then we just waited for people to show up.”

Pathfinders were bussed to both churches starting at 11 p.m. Tuesday, and the last bus arrived at 2 a.m., said Sanders. He said that several local businesses contributed items for the Pathfinders’ overnight stay: Walmart donated about six cases of water, and Brianna Bakery was able to give out donuts.

Kim Maran, a spokesperson for the Camporee, said that other churches were also able to take in Pathfinder clubs.

This story was published on August 7, 2024.