Attending Burning Man is always a risk — a chance for the well-off to rough it in the desert while Diplo DJs a set from a hot air balloon. (That really happened this year.) Alas, this year’s festivities were rudely interrupted by Mother Nature.
No access in or out of #BurningMan after storm — conditions are bordering on disaster with over 70,000 people currently trapped, told to shelter-in-place and conserve resources after rains turned the playa into an undrivable mud pit overnight.
This is a developing story. pic.twitter.com/0AWGEMzAjZ
— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) September 2, 2023
As per SF Gate, on Friday a freak storm turned Nevada’s Black Rock Desert into a muddy hellscape. The conditions have made driving, even biking difficult if not impossible, meaning only emergency vehicles were allowed in or out of neighboring Black Rock City. Burns scheduled for Friday night were cancelled. The gate and airport were closed.
As for the 73,000 attendees, who ventured out to the desert to get away from it all, they were told to shelter in place and to conserve food and water. Some Burners took to prayer, chanting, “Playa gods, please stop, we want to go home.”
Tens of thousands of people attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert are being told to conserve food, water and fuel as they shelter in place after a heavy rainstorm https://t.co/63N6id7vyn pic.twitter.com/sc0VeClt9Y
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 2, 2023
Burning Man is rained out! pic.twitter.com/K2mKmY2UQY
— Ivoryringlord (@ivoryringlord) September 2, 2023
Burning Man looks like a nightmare right now https://t.co/kDexSmaRYF pic.twitter.com/tgGDzsBsJT
— Ed Zitron (@edzitron) September 2, 2023
Things sound bleak for the many trapped in the desert. One person claimed that the flooding has made it impossible to empty the port-o-potties.
There are a lot of things to be grateful for today. One of those things is that you’re not at Burning Man. pic.twitter.com/YeqzzRxAxR
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) September 2, 2023
To make matters worse, AccuWeather is predicting the return of rain on Saturday night, and more on Sunday. It’s estimated that even one-hundredth an inch of rain can disrupt the festivities. It’s expected that Sunday alone will bring .33 inches.
Burning Man is scheduled to run through Monday, with the traditional capper being the torching of a giant wicker man.
(Via SF Gate)
Source: https://uproxx.com/viral/burning-man-storm-shelter-in-place/
