Heavy rains disrupt camps
- Rain forces outside activities to be moved inside.
- Around the time of the camps, Will Rogers World Airport saw 17 consecutive days of rain.
By Matt Caban, Staff Writer
The state’s recent string of wet weather has forced parts of two recent OCCC summer sports camps to be held indoors.
Community Education and Health Specialist Eric Watson said parts of both the June 18 through June 22 football and June 25 through June 29 soccer camps were moved into the Wellness Center gym.
“Anytime it sprinkles we’ll bring everyone in,” Watson said.
“The gym is set up for the camps just in case we need it,” he said.
Watson said the gym is closed each day during the time the camps are in session.
“Our morning people come in and use the gym for about two hours,” he said.
“Then, we close it down until 5 p.m.”
Watson said the gym closure for summer camps does not affect OCCC students.
“They know the gym is shut down [at those times] anyway,” he said.
Watson said Wellness Center attendants tell the students when they come to the area.
National Weather Service Forecaster Daryl Williams said rainfall is measured for Oklahoma City at the Will Rogers World Airport.
He said there was rainfall for 17 consecutive days from June 13 to 29 in the area of Will Rogers World Airport.
Williams said Oklahoma City received about 9.34 inches of rain in that time.
“We’ve had more rainy days than non-rainy days this month,” he said.
Williams said the amount of rainfall may vary from one part of the city to another.
“It could be more and it could be less,” he said. “It varies especially with thunderstorms.”
Williams said the rainwater does affect playing fields in time.
“Basically [the ground] gets saturated at some point and [the water] won’t get absorbed anymore, and you get all run off in outlying areas,” he said.
Williams said at this point things get worse.
“Once [the ground] gets saturated it takes just a little more to make it a quagmire.”
Watson said Recreation and Community Services does not have a plan to combat playing fields flooding.
Watson said when there is more than an inch of rain on the fields, they need at least one day to dry.
“When you get over an inch of rain, it’s flooded,” he said.
“Usually they clear themselves out, but when you get a rain like you did last week there’s nothing you can do.”
Staff Writer Matt Caban can be reached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.
