Organizers Decline Assistance from National Guard, President Biden Briefed

As of Sunday, upwards of 70,000 attendees of Burning Man were still stranded in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, urged to shelter in place and conserve their food, water, and fuel after storms flooded the festival’s grounds. The situation has gotten to the point where President Joe Biden has even been briefed, and Nevada’s national guard has offered its assistance. However, Burning Man organizers stress that there is no cause for alarm.

“We’re very pleased and surprised that there has been such a fuss over us,” Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man Project, told NBC News. “We’ve made it really clear that we do not see this as an evacuation situation.”

Meanwhile in a statement posted to Burning Man’s official website, organizers wrote, “Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another. We 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.. 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.”

Despite the muddy conditions, attendees will be able to leave the festival grounds beginning Monday morning, organizers said.

Organizers also stressed that the “online rumors of transmissible illnesses in Black Rock City are unfounded and untrue.”

I got this video yesterday of this TRX putting all that horsepower to good use to escape burning man😂 #burningman #BurningMan2023 pic.twitter.com/xWYriRgCHo

— Brendancogbill (@brendanmcogbill) September 4, 2023

Burning Man Update.

Many people are abandoning their campsites and walking to the gate. In large numbers, this will leave a massive footprint that will not oniy be a cleanup nightmare, but could threaten the ability to hold future Burn events. pic.twitter.com/27eL54fgTV

— Daily Viral (@DailyviralUS) September 3, 2023