Burning Man revelers mocked for 'harrowing' escape from flooded desert
Burning Man revelers complaining about ‘harrowing’ escapes from flooded desert are mocked for being hysterical – as it emerges the president has been briefed
- Burning Man attendees are being mocked online for detailing their escapes
- One Twitter user who shared their story has faced backlash for their tweets
- A person has died and President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation
Burning Man revelers have been mocked for complaining about their ‘harrowing’ escapes from the desert festival after it was hit by severe flooding.
Burners were ridiculed online after complaining they were ‘trapped’ – with 70,000 reported stranded over the weekend – following the rain in Nevada.
Social media users pointed out it was ‘supposed to be a post-apocalyptic’-style event and they had just experience what they should have expected.
It came as even the President was briefed on the washout, just days after a huge hurricane battered Florida and as the clean up from the Hawaii wildfires continues.
One person was killed at the festival on Saturday, but cops stressed it happened during the rainstorm and not because of it.
Despite the severity of the situation, the CEO of Burning Man said Sunday that ‘there is no cause for panic’ and described it as not an ‘evacuation situation.’
On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed he was being briefed on the Burning Man situation and was in contact with local officials
People walk through the mud at Burning Man on Sunday, September 3
As the flooding situation at Burning Man continues to escalate, revelers who have shared their stories online are being mocked by other social media users
Burners from France are seen cleaning their shoes and RV while gathered in Gurlach, NV
In a tweet, former U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal detailed his journey getting out of the Nevada desert where the annual anti-capitalist festival welcomes thousands
In one tweet, ex-US Solicitor General Neal Katyal detailed his journey getting out of the desert.
‘It was an incredibly harrowing 6 mile hike at midnight through heavy and slippery mud, but I got safely out of Burning Man,’ Katyal wrote, calling it a fantastic experience ‘except the ending.’
Social media users were quick to call out the attorney – who once defended Nestle in a child slavery case – for his dramatic portrayal of his exit from the festival.
‘I hate to be that gal, but six miles is honestly not that far to walk. It may sound far to folks who haven’t done it, but it’s not,’ one user wrote in a quote tweet. ‘And mud or not, I’d never describe a 90 min. walk as ‘harrowing.”
More than 1,000 people have quoted the lawyer’s tweet, many calling out his ‘dramatic’ depiction of the event while others called out Katyal alone.
‘Ok hold up, they can walk 6 miles and be out? Hahahahhahaha are you f**king for real? Also ‘harrowing,” one Twitter user shared.
In follow up tweets, Katyal shared important tips for anyone stuck in the desert and for those looking to hike their way out amid the chaos of the festival.
Others also mocked those documenting their struggles, with investment banker John LeFevre posting: ‘Zero sympathy for people ‘trapped’ at Burning Man.
‘A bunch of nerds cosplaying as post-apocalyptic feudal elites… Don’t like the mud? Walk the 6 miles back…
‘And boo hoo to the ‘influencers’ who can’t meet sponsored content requirements and have to send the money back.’
‘Lol here’s a rule 2 live by…if any event of thousands has only one road in and one out, skip that event. #BurningMan,’ wrote comedian Kathleen Madigan.
‘When you think you’re going to Burning Man, but end up at Fyre Fest.’
‘Burning Man heard Billy McFarland was trying to do Fyre Fest 2 so they beat him to it,’ shared one other person on Twitter.
‘Lol here’s a rule 2 live by…if any event of thousands has only one road in and one out, skip that event. #BurningMan,’ wrote comedian Kathleen Madigan
‘Burning Man heard Billy McFarland was trying to do Fyre Fest 2 so they beat him to it,’ shared one other person on Twitter
People wait for a shuttle bus to take them to Gerlach and Reno on the side of Highway 34
Many vehicles are seen stuck and some drivers are racing around slower vehicles to get out quickly before additional rain on Sunday attempting to leave September 3
Burners are seen attempting to flee from Black Rock City on Sunday, September 3
Multiple cars have gotten stuck in the mud as revelers tried to leave Saturday and Sunday
Cars and RVs appeared stranded in the mud on Sunday
Burners exiting the Black Rock desert are covered in a cement like mud. Thousands of Burning Man attendees try to leave the Black Rock Desert as quickly as possible
Katyal shared this photo of himself from Burning Man with his Twitter followers
Massive bouts of rainfall have overwhelmed the Nevada desert, turning the dust into clay in recent days
A woman leaving Burning Man appears to hitchhike, looking for a ride to San Francisco
Long lines of cars formed Saturday and Sunday ahead of yet another round of rain
Hikers were seen walking through the Nevada desert Sunday
Talking with NBC News on Sunday, Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell said the situation was under control and that the panic was needless, calling it ‘such a fuss.’
‘We’ve made it really clear that we do not see this as an evacuation situation,’ Goodell said. ‘The water is drying up.’
Organizers turned down help from the Nevada National Guard and said they anticipated the annual burning of the Burning Man to go forward.
Rainfall has overwhelmed the Nevada desert, turning the dust into clay in recent days. Some 73,000 revelers are trapped until the landscape dries up.
A single death was confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and officials said it occurred ‘during this rain event’ but gave few other details.
‘As this death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time,’ the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Saturday night.
The conditions became severe enough for celebs and notable personalities such as comedian Chris Rock and musician Diplo hike their way out.
In photos posted online, Rock could be seen sitting on the edge of the truck as it trundled across the desert tracks.
He was seen wearing a New York Knicks jacket, a black baseball cap, and a pair of sunglasses as he smiled for the camera.
‘Just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with Chris Rock and a fan picked us up,’ the Twitter user tweeted, together with a video of the escape online.
Earlier in the day, Rock had posted video of just how atrocious the conditions around the campsite were where he’d been staying.
In a 10 second clip posted to his Instagram, the muddy landscape could be seen – consisting of craters of mud in which deep footprints had been left.
In a story that has since disappeared, Rock wrote: ‘From what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-o-potties reportedly can’t be emptied.’
‘And because the gates are closed, people can’t get in to fill generators or deliver supplies,’ his story stated, according to SFgate.com.
Campers had their tents and structures breached due to the pouring rain, leaving many people tired, wet, and muddy over the weekend.
Despite the chaos, the hedonistic crowds made the most of the situation by organizing slip-and-slides and other uniquely Burning Man-esque activities.
Diplo (left) and Chris Rock (right) found themselves amidst the muddy chaos that descended upon the Burning Man festival site and hitched a ride out of the chaos on Saturday
Rock posted video of a row of bikes parked up at the Burning Man site – all completely useless given the muddy conditions
Shai Peza of Chicago frolics in the mud and water at Burning Man on Saturday
Dirty D of Los Angeles dives into the mud at Burning Man preferring to move around on all-fours
Burners attempt to walk out of Burning Man after heavy rains on Friday night
Dirty D of LA adopted a playa name that he is known by all week, and declined to give the name he uses in the ‘default world’
Burning Man is set on the prehistoric Lake Lahontan, which is a dry lakebed – known colloquially as the playa. The ground is made up of an alkaline dust, which normally leaves people coughing with ‘playa lung.’
But with the rain this year, the saturated dust has created an elaborate game of stuck-in-the-mud for scantily-clad music lovers.
The final weekend of the hedonistic event ground to a halt on Friday night as freezing, mud-caked conditions took over but it even led to celebrities like Chris Rock making a bid to escape the deluge.
‘Do not travel to Black Rock City!.’ Burning Man organizers tweeted, referring to the desert area where the alternative festival takes place.
‘Access to the city is closed for the remainder of the event, and you will be turned around’, organizers said in a statement on social media.
‘Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa,’ they explained.
One clip, posted by a festivalgoer, showed a jeep half-buried in the sinking clay and mud – completely unable to move after being trapped in the sludge
A Burning Man participant makes their way through the mud in Black Rock City
A Burning Man attendee lies down in the mud and water at the event
One person could even be seen with a boat that had been parked up on the site
Thousands of Burning Man attendees trudged in sloppy mud on Saturday – many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet – as flooding from storms swept through the Nevada desert.
About six inches of rain is believed to have fallen on Friday at the festival site, located about 110 miles north of Reno, the National Weather Service in Reno said.
To make matters worse, revelers have been suffering from hypothermia after unprecedented storms washed out the festival.
Organizers urged festivalgoers already on site to ‘conserve food, water and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space.’
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