Camp Leif Ericson submerged by flood, looks for donations to recover for summer

The recent flooding hit Camp Leif Ericson hard, submerging the summer camp and causing significant damage.

Just how much damage likely will be apparent by the end of the day Monday, said Mike Murphy, CEO of Sioux Falls Family YMCA, which runs the longtime camp south of 26th Street along the Big Sioux River.

“We haven’t had a chance to do a full evaluation yet because the water is still receding, but with the depth we got, we can already tell we’re going to have damage to buildings and our electrical systems, where we’ll likely have to look at repairs,” he said.

“We’ve already been able to tell things like fences are damaged or missing, so we’re anticipating there will be quite a bit to replace.”

Fortunately, the forecast provided enough early warning to evacuate the camp’s horses, vehicles and heavy equipment, but other supplies weren’t able to be moved out in time, he said.

Some of the camp’s more legendary items also likely were damaged, Murphy said.

After 27 years with the organization, he has seen flooding in the riverfront camp before, but this ranks among the worst, he said.

“The very early March flood of 2019 exceeded this, but beyond that, this would probably be the most severe flooding event we’ve had, and the big difference is this is in the middle of summer, which is a much bigger impact.”

That means a quick push to clean up and try to rebuild. The Sioux Falls Family YMCA put out a plea for donors Sunday, hoping to raise $100,000 to help “make sure we can finish this summer strong,” Murphy said. “We have a lot of campers signed up, and we want to make sure they get as great of an experience as they can.”

In the meantime, camps went on as scheduled last week and will again this week. Central Church allowed Leif Ericson to use its space, and the plan is to continue holding sessions there this week while also working in some field trips.

“It’s going to be scaled back and a different fashion, but we’re hopeful we may be back in some capacity by the end of this week,” Murphy said. “We’re going to work hard.”

For now, the camp isn’t asking for volunteers, but that could be coming once damage is assessed. For instance, it likely will require some help to reline hiking trails — a process that usually takes a month, and now “we’re going to try to do that in three to four days,” Murphy said. “We’re focusing hard on the cleanup and making sure we keep going this week.”

To donate to the camp’s rebuilding effort, click here.

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