Happy Fall Branch Brook Campers,
Yes, despite the damage it's still a happy fall. It's a beautiful season in N.H. that should be enjoyed. We are just sorry that our doors (or bridges) will not be open to welcome our campers for fall foliage this year. As you can see in the picture above, we suffered some pretty heavy damage from Irene. Still, every day, we look for the silver lining, and we don't usually have to look far. This event has reminded us how fortunate we are. We have some of the best campers and neighbors around. The flood (no pun intended) of support, concern and kind messages has been overwhelming. We have also gotten a flood of questions. We'll do our best to answer them here. We will also post updates and pictures as they come.
What happened?
The water level in the river, brook, and pond that encompass the campground came up very quickly. The water rose to a level that has never happened before.
The historic "Turkey Jim's Covered Bridge" came off of its pad. It floated down stream and crashed into the campgrounds auto bridge. The auto bridge deck slid off of its supports and landed sideways in the water. One of the bath houses went under water along with most of the sites. The water pumps were damaged as well.
Will Branch Brook re-open for any part of this season?
Unfortunately, no, we will not re-open this season. It will take the remainder of the season to rebuild the auto bridge and fix the damage.
Will Branch Brook re-open next season?
Absoultely! We already had some goals for next year. This "event" only has us more determined to make next year great. Branch Brook will be open for the 2012 season better than ever!
I had reservations. What happens now?
To anyone who had reservations, we are truly sorry. We hope that you were able to make alternative arrangements. We also understand that for some people, this meant having to cancel because your funds were tied up at Branch Brook. Please know that we understand and if we had any control over the situation, you would not have been inconvenienced for even a minute. The unfortunate reality is, there was nothing we could have done and we are working to accomodate everyone as quickly as possible. Our office is not yet up and running. You will be contacted as soon as we are able to arrange for a refund or raincheck. Please read about rainchecks at the bottom of this page.
I keep calling and emailing and haven't gotten any reponse. Why?
All of the campground utilities, with the exception of water, were run under the auto bridge. When the bridge slid off it cut off our utilities as well. We have been without phone and internet since the storm. Everyone is working on the most effective, and safest, way to restore the campground. We are contacting campers about cancellations via cell phones. This means hundreds of phone calls. We have also been forced to lay off our entire staff at a time where there in an enormous amount of work before the snow falls. We are trying to move through the tasks as quickly as possible.
How are people getting on and off the campground without the bridges?
The campground is not actually an island. Our access to a road is completely cut off by a private camping club though. The club has been extremely helpful and are allowing us to drive our gators down the snow mobile trails and through thier property. Another neighbor on that road, whose land backs onto the snowmobile trail, has allowed us to bring our cars out and park them. He is also allowing us to use his property to bring equipment in. This is a small private dirt road owned by the handful of residents that live on it. They have been incredibly supportive. Without them, we would be stranded and unable to rebuild. We are incredibly thankful! This is not, however, a viable way for our business to continue. The incovenience and damage that would do to these properties would be too extreme. We need our campers to understand that just getting groceries and our kids to school is difficult and these neighbors have been more than fair. This is not a viable option for anyone to camp.
Will the bridges be re-built?
The auto bridge will be rebuilt before the snow falls. Its has to be. We can't even live here through the winter if we can't get oil and propane in. The auto bridge is the top priority. The covered bridge is another story. Neither bridge is covered by our flood insurance. As it stands now, it doesn't look like we, as a business, qualify for a FEMA grant. Any assistance we get will be in the form of a loan. The campground cannot handle the expense of rebuilding the "Turkey Jim Bridge" on top of the expense of the auto bridge. It is also one of the few registered covered bridges not supported be the state. The neighboring bridge "The Blair Bridge" also sustained some damage in the storm and (we believe) is being fixed by state funds. Branch Brook Campground has cared for the "Turkey Jim Bridge" for decades and kept it open free of charge, despite being on privately owned/business property. This leaves us in a very sad position that makes the "Turkey Jim Bridge" fate uncertain. It will cost us tens of thousands just to have it removed carefully and placed in our field. We would love to return it to its proper place over the brook, with some safety modifications to head off a repeat event. At the very least, we would like to re-assemble it on dry land and include the bridge's history. Its history is pretty interesting. If you don't know it, you can find it on the bridge page of this site. To make either idea a possibility we will need some assistance. Right now, we have to place our attention on getting our homes ready for winter, our business ready to open next season, and our customers compensated for this season. If anyone reading this has any ideas or connections that can save the "Turkey Jim Bridge" we would love to hear them.
What can I do?
Patience- First and foremost, have patience. We understand and we're trying to sift through an unbelievalble amount of paperwork without a proper office or convenient way on and off of the property. We also have priorities with our children and homes that are much harder and time consuming under the circumstances. We will do the best that we can for each of our customers as quickly as we can.
Raincheck- If possible, take a raincheck. We work very hard for our money and live on a very tight budget, so when we say "take a raincheck", we truly understand that this just isn't an option for everyone. Some people truly need a refund and we really do understand that. If you are unfamiliar with our rainchecks, let me explain. This is something that Branch Brook always offers, and is uncommon throughout the camping industry. Most campgrounds keep your money if you have to cancel. You can find our full refund policy on our reservation page. In many instances we do offer our campers rainchecks when they have to cancel. A raincheck is transferable and good for two camping seasons. You, therefore, run very little risk in taking one. Most of our regular campers appreciate them. They just use the raincheck towards their next trip. To be honest, refunds will put a real strain on the campground right now, being closed the last 2 months of our season. We, therefore will "thank" any customer willing to take a raincheck by adding 10% to it. When we call you for a raincheck/refund, just let us know that you would like a raincheck and we'll add the 10%. You can even make your reservations for next year during that phone call and automatically apply it.
Return- We hope everyone comes back to celebrate that we're still here! We plan on using the time that we are closed to make some improvements. The 2012 season will be the best year yet!
Know we are thankful- We have lost alot in the past 6 weeks and it would be pretty easy to feel defeated. We tried to move as many of our seasonals campers as we could, but the water came up way too fast. Many were totaled. We felt so badly about what we couldn't rescue, but were so surprised by the morale, support, and selflessness that returned with our seasonal campers. Within a week many of our regulars were standing at the other side of the bridge waving and yelling "see you next year". Then a few notes and cards came, and we found our employees and neighbors delivering hope and support. All of our employees lost their jobs and many of our neighbors were suffered damage as well. Everyone saw our situation as a little more extreme and wanted to know that they were there to help. This "event' has devastated our business, still we are so thankful for the reminder of all that we have. Things can be rebuilt. People are what really matters and we are so thankful for everyone of them that have reached out to us.