Burning Man contestants stranded in the desert (VIDEOS) — RT Games & Culture
Tens of thousands of Burning Man festival attendees have been trapped in their camps in the Nevada desert after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the playa into a muddy swamp.
Organizers described the unusual weather conditions as “perfidious” and urged the “burners” has “shelter in place”warning that the “The adverse weather conditions will persist.”
Roads to and from the popular event were closed on Saturday afternoon and air and bus services were suspended.
“The departure gate and the airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed. Entrances and exits are suspended until further notice. No driving is allowed except emergency vehicles. If you are in BRC, save food, water and fuel, and take shelter in a warm, safe space. More updates to come”, Burning Man Traffic tweeted Saturday afternoon.
🚨#BREAKING: Burning Man Festival declares national emergency as more than 73,000 campers are trapped and told to shelter in place amid flood crisis 📌#Black Rock | #Nevada Currently, more than 73,000 festival-goers and campers are stuck without access either inside or outside the… pic.twitter.com/gMxoFiFKdm
— RAWSALERTS (@rawsalerts) September 2, 2023
According to local media, more than 73,000 people attended the festival this year. It remains unclear whether participants will be able to leave when the event, known as Exodus, is scheduled to end on Monday, and if not, whether they will have enough supplies to last longer than expected.
Attendees were concerned about keeping food at a safe temperature, as some generators could not operate due to persistent rain. Ice was rationed at 1 bag of crushed ice or 2 blocks per customer.
Concerns have been raised about the maintenance of portable toilets creating sanitation issues, with Burning Man Radio hosts urging people not to do so. “use the playa as a bathroom.”
Wi-Fi and mobile phone services are virtually non-existent in the remote area and only a few people have access to satellite internet for updates.
The Black Rock City Festival takes place August 27 through September 4 on a dry lake bed in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, about 80 miles northeast of Reno.
The event is dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance, culminating in the burning of a 40-foot effigy. The practice originated from the burning of an 8ft wood “man” in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco, which has become an annual event in the Black Rock Desert.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, all Saturday burns, including that of the effigy of the Man, were “postponed sine die.”
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