Thousands Stranded at Burning Man Due to Heavy Rain

[nothingcontroversial]

www.npr.org/2023/09/02/1197441202/burning-man-festival-rains-floods-stranded-nevada

[Jalapeñomel]

The videos make it look like it’s headed into Woodstock ‘99 territory.

[jlt19]

Sept 3, 2023 6:40:44 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

The videos make it look like it’s headed into Woodstock ‘99 territory.

I'm hoping since it's seemingly a different crowd and they already go there with their own "provisions" it won't be as bad. Of course, the longer they're there, the worse it'll get. 

It could actually be a fascinating study in an impending apocalypse type situation. But now I'm actually more interested in the protestors that showed up before the festival. They had a GREAT point how the purpose of the festival and its location have been lost as the techbros and influencers have started to show up with their luxury RV's and just use it as a spot to gain more followers. 

[livinitup]

It’s beyond ironic that they ignored environmental protests and used the police to break through the protestors only to find themselves crippled by … the environment.

[starlily]

Sept 4, 2023 7:12:41 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Sept 3, 2023 6:40:44 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

The videos make it look like it’s headed into Woodstock ‘99 territory.

I'm hoping since it's seemingly a different crowd and they already go there with their own "provisions" it won't be as bad. Of course, the longer they're there, the worse it'll get. 

My friend's partner made it out of there today and posted that things weren't as chaotic as the news reports made it out to be. However, he's also in no rush to attend again despite having gone a few times previously.

[spindle92]

Sept 4, 2023 17:52:57 GMT -5 starlily said:

Sept 4, 2023 7:12:41 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

I'm hoping since it's seemingly a different crowd and they already go there with their own "provisions" it won't be as bad. Of course, the longer they're there, the worse it'll get. 

My friend's partner made it out of there today and posted that things weren't as chaotic as the news reports made it out to be. However, he's also in no rush to attend again despite having gone a few times previously.

I watched way more TikTok videos yesterday from there than I care to admit.
But yes, most people there are saying the news outlets are reporting as much more dire than it is.
Still an absolute mess though
 

[zarapipe]

My 77 dad is leaving today. He has been going for probably 10 years. He goes early and stays late to volunteer with something. He also said it wasn’t a huge deal.

[ellipses84]

A friend who goes yearly made it home and said they were fine. Trying to get out took many hours after roads opened up, which sounds miserable and they were advising people to wait until the next day if they could. What’s as scary to to me is the video i saw of the light rail lines along the Vegas strip with their track pits completely flooded. I don’t know if that’s ever happened before.

[AAM2012]

Soooo… who is going to clean up all the shit that was left behind? Garbage, tents, etc etc…

I haven’t heard about this event until this year because of this fiasco… but all I’ve ever thought of since then…the environmental impact.

I really hope this event isn’t permitted moving forward.

[mysteriouswife]

Sept 7, 2023 20:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Soooo… who is going to clean up all the shit that was left behind? Garbage, tents, etc etc…

I haven’t heard about this event until this year because of this fiasco… but all I’ve ever thought of since then…the environmental impact.

I really hope this event isn’t permitted moving forward.

Someone please correct me if I’m incorrect on this

This is the first year this amount has been left behind. I believe they typically burn all the trash when they burn the sculpture. The organizers have a leave it how you find it rule. I want to believe they will return to clean the debris and left behind items. The disarray is not common.

[tacokick]

Sept 7, 2023 23:16:15 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Sept 7, 2023 20:59:52 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Soooo… who is going to clean up all the shit that was left behind? Garbage, tents, etc etc…

I haven’t heard about this event until this year because of this fiasco… but all I’ve ever thought of since then…the environmental impact.

I really hope this event isn’t permitted moving forward.

Someone please correct me if I’m incorrect on this

This is the first year this amount has been left behind. I believe they typically burn all the trash when they burn the sculpture. The organizers have a leave it how you find it rule. I want to believe they will return to clean the debris and left behind items. The disarray is not common.

They are supposed to take it with them (leave no trace) but there is always some drama because not everything does make it out. You can’t burn everything so they are supposed to haul it out with them.

The surrounding towns also apparently have problems with them leaving trash/random items in whatever town they hit first on their way out and/overloading their donation sites with stuff that really isn’t of interest to the general population and/or not actually sellable or useable because of the dust exposure and burdening local trash collection.

I can’t find the article about this I read a couple years ago but there were a lot of residents of these towns talking about it on social media lately.

[mysteriouswife]

Sept 8, 2023 8:28:54 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Sept 7, 2023 23:16:15 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Someone please correct me if I’m incorrect on this

This is the first year this amount has been left behind. I believe they typically burn all the trash when they burn the sculpture. The organizers have a leave it how you find it rule. I want to believe they will return to clean the debris and left behind items. The disarray is not common.

They are supposed to take it with them (leave no trace) but there is always some drama because not everything does make it out. You can’t burn everything so they are supposed to haul it out with them.

The surrounding towns also apparently have problems with them leaving trash/random items in whatever town they hit first on their way out and/overloading their donation sites with stuff that really isn’t of interest to the general population and/or not actually sellable or useable because of the dust exposure and burdening local trash collection.

I can’t find the article about this I read a couple years ago but there were a lot of residents of these towns talking about it on social media lately.

Thanks for educating me. 😊

[pixy0stix]

Burning Man is an environmental disaster on a good year -
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/07/burning-man-nevada-trash

www.npr.org/2019/07/14/737708644/federal-clampdown-on-burning-man-imperils-festivals-free-spirit-ethos-say-burner

This article also mentions the health problems long time Burners develop from the playa dust, along with the impact to local biodiversity - www.rgj.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/04/18/burning-man-embrace-environmental-protection-black-rock-desert/3501500002/

Of which they admit that last year was pretty bad - journal.burningman.org/2023/03/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/2022-moop-maps/

This year it's a catastrophe - www.nbcnews.com/news/burning-man-begins-massive-cleanup-heavy-rain-muddied-campgrounds-rcna103904

[pixy0stix]

Another that talks about what happened to all the bikes (over 5k) that were left at the event in 2017 - www.welovecycling.com/wide/2017/09/25/5000-bicycles-left-abandoned-burning-man-festival/

Basically people had to step in and do some pretty intensive rehab work to salvage maybe half the bikes that were left.

This is one of those events that just needs to stop. The harm outweighs the good generated.

[Birdie]

I'm really curious what the impact is going to be on the playa from all of those ruts. Will the dry wind slowly flatten them back out, or will people 50 years from now see the deep ruts from idiots who didn't listen when they were told to stay put?

[sonrisa]

Sept 8, 2023 12:43:36 GMT -5 Birdie said:

I'm really curious what the impact is going to be on the playa from all of those ruts. Will the dry wind slowly flatten them back out, or will people 50 years from now see the deep ruts from idiots who didn't listen when they were told to stay put?

I'm not worried about ruts. It becomes a lake bed during the rainy season before drying out flat for summer. That should work away at the ruts over time. The huge amounts of trash embedded in the playa is a different matter. 

[spindle92]

Apparently they brought in some huge shipping containers for the people who decided to walk out and could not carry their stuff with them.
Yeah like that is super environmentally friendly.