Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

sfgate.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 263 posts

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#91

Post by ethanbond »

rcme wrote: post #86
ethanbond wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lack of easy transportation can quickly turn a merely inconvenient or uncomfortable situation into an extremely dangerous one. Break a leg in front of the hospital? Super minor. Break a leg 40 miles from the nearest road? Extremely serious. Mud, especially with huge numbers of people, has a way of turning the former situation into the latter situation rather quickly. Also who’s being breathless? The article didn’t me…

Breaking a leg isn't serious if medical transportation is available, and it sounds like it is.

Sure hope so! You know what can change that though? More mud.

No one is asking to fly in the military here or something. People are observing: “oh, that seems like a risky situation that could go very south very quickly.”

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#92

Post by [deleted] »

jeremyt wrote: post #40

Folks, the article is breathless and ridiculous. As someone who is not there, but who has been there four times and run build lead for my camp... Rain is not unheard of. It's probably pretty muddy and less fun than it normally would be. Nobody is starving or dying of dehydration, and there is no danger of that. Most camps (and many people) have a huge surplus of supplies. Last time I was there, I drove out with a few…

[deleted]

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#93

Post by MarkMarine »

UmYeahNo wrote: post #2

The article paints a pretty dire picture. Having never been to that part of the world, is the nearest place that could support Reno? I assume this would need a post-hurricane type support airdrop of supplies?

It’s not dire. People overpack, and anyone asking for water or food will get it. There won’t be ice, people’s generators will run out of gas, and I’m sure some people will run out of acid and have nothing to do, but no one is going to need supplies air dropped in.

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#94

Post by jamal-kumar »

rcme wrote: post #62
riffic wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is there something not hard to believe about that?

Kind of, yes. Normally one thinks of something like lye being caustic, not dirt, even when wet.

Well think about it this way

Baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) is something like pH 8, sodium carbonate (What you get if you put bicarbonate in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour or so) is something like ph 10-11, and is a large component of alkalai soils. [1] You probably won't have a problem with baking soda but the more basic form of it (as we call 'washing soda') is definitely something you don't want on your skin for long periods of time. I suggest making some in the oven to soak some soiled socks or something you have - but careful breathing the dust in, you'll notice that it's way sharper on your nose than baking soda.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkali_soil

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#95

Post by rolph »

rcme wrote: post #86
ethanbond wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lack of easy transportation can quickly turn a merely inconvenient or uncomfortable situation into an extremely dangerous one. Break a leg in front of the hospital? Super minor. Break a leg 40 miles from the nearest road? Extremely serious. Mud, especially with huge numbers of people, has a way of turning the former situation into the latter situation rather quickly. Also who’s being breathless? The article didn’t me…

Breaking a leg isn't serious if medical transportation is available, and it sounds like it is.

breaking a leg or arm can be lethal due to immediate complications or emergent complications due to lack of prompt evaluation and treatment.

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#96

Post by jeremyt »

jph wrote: post #87
jeremyt wrote: post #40

Folks, the article is breathless and ridiculous. As someone who is not there, but who has been there four times and run build lead for my camp... Rain is not unheard of. It's probably pretty muddy and less fun than it normally would be. Nobody is starving or dying of dehydration, and there is no danger of that. Most camps (and many people) have a huge surplus of supplies. Last time I was there, I drove out with a few…

If you're there, shelter in place, and listen to people who are more experienced. This helps the medics. Typically many medical issues are straightforward to triage and treat with field kits. Then the medics ask the person's friends to drive the person to Reno for more in-depth care. Examples in my experience are twisted ankles, broken arms, alcohol sickness, dehydration, cardiac events, infections, lost prescription…

That is not a counterpoint. Counterpoint to what?

Not sure where I said "don't shelter in place". Not sure where I said "don't listen to people more experienced".

All I said is that nobody is going to starve or die of dehydration because they ran out of food/water. I stand behind that.

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#97

Post by croes »

jeremyt wrote: post #40

Folks, the article is breathless and ridiculous. As someone who is not there, but who has been there four times and run build lead for my camp... Rain is not unheard of. It's probably pretty muddy and less fun than it normally would be. Nobody is starving or dying of dehydration, and there is no danger of that. Most camps (and many people) have a huge surplus of supplies. Last time I was there, I drove out with a few…

That's all valid as long as people behave rational, what some people don't do in such situations.

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#98

Post by DirkH »

zerbinxx wrote: post #65
uoaei wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. Burning Man is in Nevada 2. Technically it's not even in Nevada, it's in the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation 3. Kind of the entire point of Burning Man is that you are raising a city out of nothing and breaking it down again within the span of a couple weeks against all odds and in one of the least hospitable places on the planet. This is by design. As a participant you are given ample information and time…

[flagged]

Those words have meanings. Look them up it you don't understand them. They're well used in this context to get the author's point across.

I dunno if I agree with the author. I've never been to Burning Man, but their word usage certainly helps me - a casual onlooker - better understand their frustration.

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#99

Post by giantrobot »

jeremyt wrote: post #89
hgsgm wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Have you been to burning man, because it sounds like you have not. Food and water is everywhere. They will not run out unless this thing lasts another week. If some people run out, others will have extra. Of this I am 100% sure.

[flagged]

Re: No way in or out of Burning Man after storm

#100

Post by jeremyt »

ethanbond wrote: post #84
jeremyt wrote: post #40

Folks, the article is breathless and ridiculous. As someone who is not there, but who has been there four times and run build lead for my camp... Rain is not unheard of. It's probably pretty muddy and less fun than it normally would be. Nobody is starving or dying of dehydration, and there is no danger of that. Most camps (and many people) have a huge surplus of supplies. Last time I was there, I drove out with a few…

Lack of easy transportation can quickly turn a merely inconvenient or uncomfortable situation into an extremely dangerous one. Break a leg in front of the hospital? Super minor. Break a leg 40 miles from the nearest road? Extremely serious. Mud, especially with huge numbers of people, has a way of turning the former situation into the latter situation rather quickly. Also who’s being breathless? The article didn’t me…

You are not 40 miles from the nearest road at Burning Man. You are a couple of miles from the nearest road.
Post reply on HN