A Burning Man attendee only managed to escape being trapped in the muddy pit surrounding the Nevada festival by doing a Dukes of Hazzard-style jump into her friend’s vehicle, she told The Post on Monday.
Catherine Gacad, 48, of Alameda, California, was set to enjoy her 13th visit to the alternative festival before torrential rains brought the festivities to a halt on Friday, partially flooding the yurt she had brought to sleep in and trapping tens of thousands of attendees. . inside a giant mud in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, where the event takes place.
Like many tired of sheltering in place, Gacad decided to wade through the mud and escape in a friend’s car on Sunday, only to encounter a small river forming near the exit.
“One of the officers directing traffic told us that if we wanted to cross, we would have to back up, speed up the car, close the windows and speed up, Dukes of Hazzard style,” Gacad told The Post, referring to the traffic program. 1970s television that featured the protagonists’ neon orange Dodge Charger launching off a dirt ramp and leaping over a police car in the title credits.
While Gacad was able to make a bold escape over the weekend, around 73,000 people remain trapped in the desert with dwindling supplies and patience as they wait for conditions to improve.
Authorities said the mud would have solidified enough for most people to leave by Tuesday.
Catherine Gacad, 48, sheltered from the storm that hit Burning Man inside her yurt, which was partially flooded.Catherine Gacad
A sign at the Gacad camp renamed the Drowning Man event after torrential rain. Catherine Gacad
Gacad said that while his roof kept the rain out, floodwater began to seep in from below. Catherine Gacad
Car of “The Dukes of Hazzard”, famous for making impossible jumps. Courtesy Everett Collection
Gacad, who attended his first Burning Man in 2002, said this year’s festival was shaping up to be one of the best ever, as he enjoyed hosting music workshops with his bluegrass group, Root Pile.
The festivities, however, were cut short when torrential rains fell on Friday, and attendees were told to shelter in place, conserve their food and power supplies and await further instructions. Most of the events planned for the festival were cancelled.
“It wasn’t a big deal for many of us who attended the festival before,” Gacad said. “We all have yurts, tents, trailers and RVs, but those rookies who only came out with blankets like I did my first year, I worried.”
Gacad’s shoes were cemented in mud as he walked through the camps. Catherine Gacad
Many attendees scoffed at the conditions as they waited to leave. Catherine Gacad
Rain turned Nevada’s Black Rock Desert into a mud pit difficult to navigate.Catherine Gacad
But even Gacad’s yurt couldn’t withstand the rains, as flood water came in from below, forcing her to pack her belongings on her bed to keep them dry.
During the night of the storm, Gacad said he let out a loud scream when his yurt began to rattle amid powerful winds caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary.
“I seriously thought about flying into the sky like in The Wizard of Oz,” Gacad said.
Authorities warned attendees to stay put as muddy conditions trapped them in the desert with entrances and exits closed as they were not in adequate condition to handle traffic. Gacad said that she and most of the others had prepared for a long stay in the desert and had adequate supplies of food and water.
However, it has proven difficult to walk through the mud that has flooded the camp grounds, and Gacad noticed that people’s boots quickly stuck to it and made it difficult to cover even short distances.
Gacad, a Burning Man veteran since 2002, had air conditioning in her yurt. Catherine Gacad
Many vehicles were stuck in the mud until Sunday, when some drivers chose to drive away.Catherine Gacad
More than 73,000 attendees were ordered to take refuge in the desert.©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP
“People were still making the best of it,” Gacad said. “Meals were still being served and the music was still playing. “Everything was as usual, although there was a bit of tension.”
But with the shelter-in-place order extended through Sunday, Gacad said many were becoming increasingly anxious and wanted to return home, signing up for bus evacuations that day.
She also signed up to leave, but after hearing on the radio that the escape window might be narrowing, she decided to join a friend who was looking to leave in his car.
Muddy conditions prevent vehicles from entering or leaving the beach where people had camped for the festival.NBC
Gacad noticed that many fled on foot, warning that their cars would get stuck in the mud. Despite the warning, she and her friend continued and managed to get out after making a muddy jump over the river.
According to festival organizers, more outings are expected today despite the ceremonial burning of the Burning Man effigy scheduled for Monday night.
Attendees were warned not to leave the desert on foot along various paths, but rather to try to take transportation at a Greeters station that had been set up for them.
Organizers said Monday that they had enabled Wi-Fi in many parts of the camp and that their bathroom cleaning operation was still operating, and that the site was receiving assistance from the local fire department and sheriff to keep the area safe and prevent further problems. caused by mud.
The site was rocked by a death at the site over the weekend, which was confirmed by authorities. The Burning Man organization later confirmed the death was a man in his 40s, but no further details, including the cause of the person’s death, had been provided by Monday afternoon.
Festival-goers were also urged to delay their departures until Tuesday to avoid increased traffic on Monday.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn