BROADCASTS.com

Published: Sept. 3, 2023, 9:57 p.m.

b'

Authorities are investigating a death at the\\xa0Burning Man festival\\xa0in the Nevada desert as thousands of people remain trapped on site after\\xa0heavy rains inundated the area and created thick, ankle-deep mud which sticks to campers\\u2019 shoes and vehicle tires.\\xa0

\\n

Attendees were told to shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert and conserve food, water and fuel after a rainstorm swamped the area, forcing officials to halt any entering or leaving of the festival.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cA little over 70,000 people,\\u201d remained stranded Saturday, Sgt. Nathan Carmichael, with the Pershing County Sheriff\\u2019s Office, told CNN Sunday morning. Some people have left the site by walking out but \\u201cmost of the RVs are stuck in place,\\u201d he said.\\xa0

\\n

On Sunday morning, event organizers said roads remained closed as they were \\u201ctoo wet and muddy\\u201d and more uncertain weather was likely on the way. While some vehicles were able to leave, others got stuck in the mud, organizers said on the\\xa0event\\u2019s website.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cPlease do NOT drive at this time,\\u201d they added. \\u201cWe will update you on the driving ban after this weather front has left the area.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

The remote area in northwest Nevada was hit with 2 to 3 months\\u2019 worth of rain \\u2013 up to 0.8 inches \\u2013 in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning. The heavy rainfall fell on dry desert grounds, whipping up thick, clay-like mud festivalgoers said was too difficult to walk or bike through.\\xa0

\\n

More rain is likely Sunday afternoon, according to a forecast from the National Weather Service office in Reno. \\u201cStronger storms will be capable of very heavy rainfall, small hail, and wind gusts to 40+ mph,\\u201d the weather service noted.\\xa0

\\n

Those conditions were likely to be in the Burning Man Festival area from around\\xa012 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time, a CNN analysis showed.\\xa0

\\n

The sheriff\\u2019s office said it is investigating \\u201ca death which occurred during this rain event.\\u201d Authorities did not publicly name the person or provide details on the circumstances of the death.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cThe family has been notified and the death is under investigation,\\u201d the sheriff\\u2019s office said in a late Saturday news release.\\xa0

\\n

The individual was found on the playa and life-saving procedures to revive them were not successful, Carmichael said Sunday, but did not share further details.\\xa0

\\n

Playa is the term used to describe sunken dry lake beds in deserts where water evaporates rather than running off, and even a small amount of rain can quickly soak a large area.\\xa0

\\n

Event organizers\\xa0said\\xa0they plan to burn the Man \\u2013 the huge totem set on fire at the festival\\u2019s culmination \\u2013 on Sunday night, if weather allows.\\xa0

\\n

How long this could last\\xa0

\\n

Authorities have not provided information on when roads could reopen, but the sunshine is expected to return Monday.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cWe do not currently have an estimated time for the roads to be dry enough for RVs or vehicles to navigate safely,\\u201d Burning Man organizers said in a Saturday evening statement. \\u201cMonday late in the day would be possible if weather conditions are in our favor. It could be sooner.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

Organizers noted the rain falling on an already saturated playa overnight and Sunday \\u201cwill affect the amount of time it takes for the playa to dry.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

For now, the gate and airport into Black Rock City remain closed and no driving is allowed into or out of the city except for emergency vehicles, the\\xa0organizers said\\xa0on social media. Black Rock City is a temporary metropolis erected annually for the festival and comes complete with emergency, safety and sanitary infrastructure.\\xa0

\\n

The rain \\u201cmade it virtually impossible for motorized vehicles to traverse the playa,\\u201d the Pershing County Sheriff\\u2019s Office said, noting people were advised to shelter in place until the ground has dried enough to drive on safely.\\xa0

\\n

Vehicles trying to drive out will get stuck in the mud, Burning Man organizers said Saturday. \\u201cIt will hamper Exodus if we have cars stuck on roads in our camping areas, or on the Gate Road out of the city,\\u201d the organizers added.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cIf you are in BRC, please shelter in place & stay safe,\\u201d organizers said.\\xa0

\\n

Storms and heavy rains across Nevada\\xa0flooded\\xa0other parts of the state and may have led to another death. In Las Vegas, authorities found a person unresponsive and \\u201centangled with debris,\\u201d on Saturday morning who is believed to be \\u201ca drowning victim,\\u201d according to Jace Radke, a spokesperson for the city. An investigation is ongoing, Radke said in a news release.\\xa0

\\n

Difficult conditions, but some stay positive\\xa0

\\n

Some festivalgoers hiked miles on foot in the thick mud to reach main roads while others stayed at their camps, hoping for conditions to improve.\\xa0

\\n

Hannah Burhorn, a first-time attendee at the festival, told CNN people were trudging through the mud barefoot or with bags tied around their feet.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cPeople who have tried to bike through it and have gotten stuck because it\\u2019s about ankle deep,\\u201d Burhorn said. The mud is so thick it \\u201csticks to your shoes and makes it almost like a boot around your boot,\\u201d she added.\\xa0

\\n

It\\u2019s unclear exactly how many people are stranded at the festival, but typically more than 70,000 people attend the weeklong event. It\\u2019s being held from August 28 to September 4 this year.\\xa0

\\n

There weren\\u2019t any reports of injuries as of Saturday afternoon, Sean Burke, the director of emergency management for Pershing County, told CNN.\\xa0

\\n

Amar Singh Duggal and his friends managed to leave the festival after hiking about 2 miles in the mud, he told CNN. He estimated it took them about 2 hours to get to a main road where they arranged to be picked up and taken to Reno, about a 120-mile drive from the event grounds.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cWe made it, but it was pure hell (walking) through the mud,\\u201d Duggal said. \\u201cEach step felt like we were walking with two big cinder blocks on our feet.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

Among those attending the festival was\\xa0DJ Diplo\\xa0and comedian\\xa0Chris Rock.\\xa0

\\n

Rock posted a video on Instagram of thick mud and Diplo posted a series of videos in which he said a fan offered him and Rock a ride out of the site.\\xa0

\\n

The DJ said they walked several miles and were able to get to a nearby airport.\\xa0

\\n

Meanwhile, attendees who typically dedicate their time to making art and building community are now also focused on rationing supplies and dealing with connectivity issues.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cThere is super limited bandwidth and a lot of people at the camp (are) trying to cancel flights and arrange for extended time here\\u201d due to the weather, Burhorn told CNN via text message from a Wi-Fi camp.\\xa0

\\n

Still, the poor conditions have not stopped the creativity, said Burhorn, who had traveled from San Francisco.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cPeople are building mud sculptures,\\u201d she said.\\xa0

\\n

Andrew Hyde, another attendee stuck at the Burning Man, said despite the muddy conditions making it difficult to walk, the weather has taken the meaning of the event back to its roots.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cYou come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that,\\u201d Hyde told CNN\\u2019s Paula Newton. \\u201cSo in many ways, everybody here just kind of made friends with their neighbors and it\\u2019s a community event.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

Morale at the event is OK and there\\u2019s generally no panic among the attendees, Hyde said, describing music returning overnight.\\xa0

\\n

There are worries about the additional rain causing delays, however, and the unknowns of worsening conditions.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cI think the concern is if we have another rain,\\u201d he said. \\u201cPeople need to go back to their jobs, back to the responsibilities they have back home.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

Assistance brought in\\xa0

\\n

Organizers announced Saturday night they\\u2019ll be putting mobile cell trailers in different positions, configuring the organization\\u2019s Wi-Fi system for public access and deploying buses to nearby Gerlach to take people who might walk off the playa to Reno.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cThis is not likely a 24-hour operation at this time,\\u201d the festival said in a statement on its website.\\xa0

\\n

Organizers are also resourcing four-wheel-drive vehicles and all-terrain tires to help ferry medical and other urgent situations to the blacktop.\\xa0

\\n

There have been people who managed to walk to a main road and were waiting for transport from the festival organizers Saturday night, the Pershing County Sheriff\\u2019s Office said.\\xa0

\\n

Resources have been brought in from around northern Nevada to help people with medical needs on the event grounds, the sheriff\\u2019s office said.\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cBurning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another,\\u201d Burning Man said on its website. \\u201cWe have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive. It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

\\u201cWe have done table-top drills for events like this,\\u201d organizers added. \\u201cWe are engaged full-time on all aspects of safety and looking ahead to our Exodus as our next priority.\\u201d\\xa0

\\n

- by Nouran Salahieh and Emma Tucker, CNN

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'