NEWS: Campers Airlifted, RV Sales Slide, and Hotels Move Into Camping

July 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Campers Airlifted, RV Sales Slide, and Hotels Move Into Camping

The Black River in southeastern Missouri rose to a record 28.7 feet in the middle of the night after more than a foot of rain fell in less than 24 hours, triggering a flash flood emergency and forcing the rescue of hundreds of campers — including more than 200 young summer camp attendees and counselors who were airlifted by Blackhawk helicopters from Camp Tom Sauk in Lesterville. The Missouri National Guard flew them to a nearby elementary school where they were reunited with families. Emergency crews also responded to Bearkat Getaway Campground after a reported building collapse; five campers initially reported missing at that campground were found, and roughly 10 others in the county were rescued from the roof of the Black River Lodge. CNN reported that crews conducted around 90 water rescues overall, including multiple swiftwater rescues involving residents, campers, and motorists.

Flood Danger Downstream

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What you'll learn

1 (00:15) **Missouri Flooding Rescue** - Catastrophic flooding on the Black River forces helicopter evacuations of hundreds of campers.
2 (02:57) **Rockfall on Going-to-the-Sun Road** - A visitor is injured in Glacier National Park when a falling rock crashes through their vehicle's roof.
3 (04:40) **Fuel Prices Tick Up Again** - The national average for regular gasoline rises six cents to $3.85 per gallon after a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran collapses.
4 (05:02) **New RV Sales Continue to Slide** - May data shows new RV retail registrations down over 19% year-over-year, marking the ninth straight month of decline.
5 (06:10) **Campground Views Hits Traffic Record** - The virtual tour website tops one million views in June, earlier than its usual peak in July.
6 (07:38) **KOA Named Profitable Franchise Brand** - Franchise Business Review recognizes KOA as one of the top 50 franchise brands based on owner satisfaction.
7 (08:57) **Hotel Companies Move Deeper Into Camping** - Major hotel brands are adding or partnering with glamping and outdoor lodging companies.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This week, catastrophic flooding in Missouri forced hundreds of campers to be rescued, including more than 200 young campers and counselors airlifted out by Black Hawk helicopters after the Black River rose to record levels in the middle of the night.

We’ve also got a scary rockfall incident on Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, gas prices ticking back up, and new RV sales continuing their long slide.

Plus, campground planning tools are seeing record traffic, KOA has been named one of the most profitable franchise brands in the country, and major hotel companies are moving even deeper into glamping and outdoor hospitality.

Camping may still be about getting outside, but more than ever, it’s also big business — and sometimes, a serious safety story.

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00:00 Flooding Rescue
02:47 Glacier Rockfall Scare
03:26 Sponsor
04:35 Fuel Prices Rise
04:57 New RV Sales Slump
06:01 Campground Views Boom
06:48 Homecoming Rally Invite
07:23 KOA Franchises
08:54 Hotels Enter Glamping
10:01 Wrap Up