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 in his friend’s vehicle, he told The Post Monday.
Catherine Gacad, 48, of Alameda, CA, was set to enjoy her 13th trip to the alternative festival before heavy rain halted the festivities on Friday, partially flooding the yurt she brought to sleep in and trapping tens of thousands of attendees in a giant mudslide in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert where the event takes place.
Like many who are 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 that formed near the exit.
“One of the officers directing traffic told us that if we wanted to cross, we had to back up, back up the car, close our windows and shoot it, Dukes of Hazzard style,” Gacad told The Post, referring to the 1970s TV show that featured the Chargers. The protagonist’s neon-orange Dodge rolls up a dirt ramp and jumps onto a police car in the title credits.
Although Gacad was able to make a brave escape over the weekend, some 73,000 people are still stuck in the desert with dwindling supplies and patience as they wait for conditions to improve.
Officials have said by Tuesday the mud will be solid enough for most people to leave.
Catherine Gacad, 48, squats from the storm that hit Burning Man in her yurt, which is partially flooded.Catherine Gacad
A sign at the Gacad camp renamed the Lelaki Lemas event following heavy rain.Catherine Gacad
Gacad said that while the roof blocked the rain, the flood water began to seep in from below. Catherine Disability
“The Dukes of Hazzard” car, famous for making impossible jumps.Courtesy Everett Collection
Gacad, who attended his first Burning Man in 2002, said this year’s festival has been one of his best because he enjoys hosting music workshops with his bluegrass band, Root Pile.
The festivities, however, were cut short when heavy rain hit on Friday, with attendees told to hunker down and shelter in place, conserving their food and energy supplies and awaiting further instructions. Most of the events planned for the festival were subsequently cancelled.
“It’s not a big deal for most of us who attended the festival before,” said Gacad. “We all have yurts, tents, trailers and RVs, but for first timers who just go out with blankets like I did my first year, I worry about them.”
Gacad’s shoes are cemented in the mud as she walks around the campsite.Catherine Gacad
Many attendees poked fun at the situation as they waited to exit. Catherine Disability
Rain turned Nevada’s Black Rock Desert into an unnavigable mud pit. Catherine Disability
But Gacad’s yurt is also no match for the rain as floodwater seeps in from below, forcing him to pack his things on his bed to keep them dry.
On the night of the storm, Gacad said he screamed loudly as his yurt began to shake amid strong winds brought by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary.
“I seriously thought I was going to fly into the sky like in the Wizard of Oz,” Gacad said.
Officials warned attendees to remain quiet as the muddy conditions trapped them in the desert with locked entrances and exits, as they were in no condition to handle traffic. Gacad said he and most of the others were prepared for a long stay in the desert and had enough food and water.
However, the mud that had flooded the campsite proved challenging to walk across, with Gacad saying people’s boots quickly became cemented in it and it became difficult to walk even short distances.
Gacad, a Burning Man veteran since 2002, has air conditioning in her yurt.Catherine Gacad
Many vehicles were stuck in the mud until Sunday, when some drivers chose to leave.Catherine Gacad
More than 73,000 attendees were ordered to take shelter in the desert. ©2023 Maxar Technologies via AP
“People still make the best of it,” Gacad said. “Food is still served, music is still played. It’s business as usual, although there is some tension.”
But with the stay-at-home order extended until Sunday, Gacad said many were increasingly anxious and wanted to go home, signing up for bus transfers that day.
He also signed up to go, but after hearing news on the radio that the escape window might be narrowing, he decided to join a friend who wanted to leave in his car.
Muddy conditions prevented vehicles from entering or leaving the playa where people camped for the festival.NBC
Gacad noted that many fled on foot, warning their cars would get stuck in the mud. Despite the warning, he and his friend continued and made it out after making a muddy jump over the river.
More emissions are expected today even as Burning Man’s effigy-burning ceremony is scheduled for Monday night, according to festival organizers.
Attendees were warned not to exit the desert through the various roads, but instead try to board cars at the Greeters station that had been set up for them.
Organizers said Monday they had Wi-Fi enabled in many parts of the campground and their restroom cleanup operation was still working, and the site was receiving help from the local fire and sheriff’s departments to keep the area safe and prevent further issues caused by the mud.
The site was rocked by an on-site death over the weekend, which authorities confirmed. The Burning Man organization later confirmed that the deceased was a man in his 40s, but further details including the person’s cause of death had not been released as of Monday afternoon.
Festival-goers were also urged to delay their departure until Tuesday to avoid adding to Monday’s traffic.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
