Campers near Lincoln watch for July 4th storms

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — During the Fourth of July holiday, many people take their RVs out, hit the water and enjoy their day at the lake.

But this year's celebrations could be cut short due to severe storms.

“I hope it doesn’t get too crazy, or kind of suck,” said Ted Wheatley, who was camping with his family at Branched Oak Lake Wednesday. “Best we can stay in the RV and go to my parents’ house.”

SEE ALSO: The latest forecast from the Storm Warning Team

In case of extreme weather conditions, campers should retreat to their cars, tents or motorhomes.

Deputy Chief Ben Houchin said his main concern in Branched Oak is the lack of shelter.

There are toilets and showers, but he said they can fill up quickly in an emergency.

“It would probably be crowded instantly as soon as people started coming in,” Houchin said.

He said it was important to keep an eye on the weather and create a plan.

“Not just this weekend, but every weekend,” Houchin said. “And if things go wrong, sometimes it’s better to take that week off and start over another week.”

Extreme weather conditions could also affect first responder response times.

“If you’re stuck, believe it or not, we can be stuck too,” Houchin said.

The sheriff's office has specialized equipment to access hard-to-reach areas, but he said in bad weather it could take an hour.

Campers said they were monitoring the weather but weren't too concerned about the conditions.

“We’ve been here two weeks now and we’ve had some fun things happen,” Jason Gayed said. “We’ve seen some things move around on the grass, but it’s nothing serious.”

The Wheatleys will head to their pop-up camper if bad weather strikes.

“But if it's something big like it was a few days ago, we might have to pack up and go home, which is only 20 minutes away,” Wheatley said.