Burning Man releases ‘survival guide’ amid catastrophic festival

The resource will be updated regularly and aims to inform people on how to stay safe and prepared as uncertain weather conditions loom, officials said. They are already planting mobile cell towers and booting up WiFi for Black Rock City’s 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock plazas and center camp so people can call home and make travel arrangements. 

“Burning Man Project has been facilitating Black Rock City and Burning Man for over 30 years,” officials wrote in a statement Saturday night. “We have done table-top drills for events like this. We are engaged full-time on all aspects of safety and looking ahead to our Exodus as our next priority.” 

Officials were cautiously optimistic that the gate into the playa, which turned into a disastrous mud pit over the weekend, could reopen late Monday, but did not have an estimated timeline for when the roads would be dry enough for RVs and other vehicles to safely navigate out. As of early Sunday afternoon, the organization said the roads were still too wet.

However, some people trekked as far as five miles through the mud to escape the unbearable conditions, and Burning Man officials said they are periodically deploying buses to Gerlach, the closest town outside of Black Rock City, to transport people to Reno, free of charge. With no traffic, the drive from Black Rock City to Gerlach takes about 20 minutes.

“Hotel rooms in Gerlach are full, and moving to Reno is your best option for a good night’s sleep if you choose to leave the playa,” officials said. “We do not recommend walking this distance at night. One can become disoriented by the darkness and doing a search and rescue will delay us from helping the city open back up again.” 

Burning Man officials also said they are utilizing all of their four-wheel drive vehicles and ATVs to determine road conditions, in addition to stationing them near ranger stations to help transport “medical and other urgent situations” to the blacktop. 

“This does NOT mean we are releasing all vehicles,” Burning Man officials said. “We have found that ONLY 4WD vehicles with all-terrain tires are currently able to move. Anything less than that will get stuck. It will hamper Exodus if we have cars stuck on roads in our camping areas, or on the Gate Road out of the city. PLEASE don’t be that person.”

Instead, festival attendees are encouraged to take shelter “in a warm, safe place,” introduce themselves to their neighbors and conserve food, water and fuel, sharing extra when possible.  People who need to walk around are advised to cover their shoes with a pair of socks to prevent mud from sticking; Black Rock Rangers, a group of civilian public safety volunteers, are making their way through the playa to provide assistance where necessary.

Despite the chaotic circumstances, one cornerstone of the festival may still be rescheduled. Officials said the annual burning of the wooden “man” effigy could take place at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, weather permitting.

“We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive,” Burning Man officials wrote in a statement. “It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this … Get some rest and spend some quality time with your campmates. We will all get out of this, it will just take time.”