For the second time this summer, strong winds from a t/storm complex have destroyed a temporary stage at a music event. Last month this happened up in Ottawa, Canada injuring several people during a Cheap Trick concert. it also happened in OK last month as well. Last night it happened @ the Indiana State Fair, right before a Sugarland concert. The video of the event is disturbing...take a look for yourself. It seems like folks are "surprised" that things like this can happen. Obviously they shouldn't be...it was a thunderstorm, and a strong one. Perhaps the wind was more focused on that one area of the State Fair as this report will attest.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The wind gust that toppled a stage at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night, killing five and injuring dozens of fans waiting for the country band Sugarland to perform, was a "fluke" that no one could have anticipated, the governor and others said Sunday.
The wind was far stronger than that in other areas of the fairgrounds, said Dan McCarthy, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indiana. He estimated the gust at 60 to 70 mph.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said precautions were taken before the storm, but no one could have foreseen such a strong gust focused in one place. Some witnesses have said that while a storm was expected, rain hadn't begun to fall when the wind sent the stage rigging falling into the crowd of terrified fans.
While people were being notified about the potential for severe weather, the actions didn't come fast enough. the NWS issued a WARNING @ 8:39 PM...the disaster occurred at 8:50...obviously 10 minutes is not enough time...and odds are it was about 5-8 minutes.
By the time the warning was issued, odds are there was a conversation for a few minutes about what to do...then it was decided...then you had to notify and set in motion a plan. I think however they thought that they had more time to act. Unfortunately they didn't.
Here is some more information from the AP...
Bursten said emergency personnel and fair officials were monitoring the weather because a severe storm had been expected to hit the area around 9:15 p.m. But the storm hit shortly before 9 p.m.
He said preparations were being made to evacuate the facility but that the "significant gust of wind" struck the stage rigging that holds lights and other equipment before the evacuation plan was activated.
"As we all know, weather can change in a very rapid period of time," he said.
Concert-goers said the opening act by Sara Bareilles had finished and the crowd was waiting for Sugarland to take the stage. They said an announcer had alerted them that severe weather was possible and gave instructions on what to do if an evacuation was necessary. But the same announcer said concert organizers hoped the show would go on, and many fans stayed put.
The wind that toppled the rigging came just minutes after that announcement, fans said.
Now I'm trying to put myself in their situation...and I totally understand. By saying that the show would hopefully go on, the fans figured that they paid good money, the VIP area was right in front and they were already situated with the best possible viewing of the show...they didn't want to give that position up...I get it. There are unconfirmed reports that they announced that the band would play a few songs first...not sure IF that is true or not but if it is then that is not good! By the way here is a radar replay of the storms moving through.
Perhaps if the announcer said something to the effect of we're delaying the show for 1 hour and want everybody to seek a safer location or something to that effect, perhaps that might have been better. Regardless of whether or not there were going to be strong winds, their certainly was the high likelihood of potentially deadly lightning from the same storm. Reason enough to get the folks out of there, especially the ones who were in the open areas.
Obviously hindsight is also 20/20...no doubt that all the EMs from the area are watching the events that led up to the disaster and will be thinking about how this may pertain to them in certain scenarios where temporary stages are set up. 5 dead and dozens injured is something that needs to be prevented...and in certain ways a lot of it perhaps could've been...
Roger Edwards, a noted forecaster for the SPC has written this...
Elsewhere, the NE part of the country got hammered with heavy rainfall this AM...amounts of 4-8" fell around the NY area. While too much at one time, the rain was welcome, they too had been drying out. They're not done either with an additional 1-3" on the way from the look of radar...here are some totals from the noon hour...
For us the potential of rain will be slowly increasing from MON-WED...tomorrow there may be some activity in the area later in the AM through PM..TUE the best chance is in the AM and WED the best chance is in the PM...initially tomorrow the rain will be fighting the dry air as it moves eastwards. I will drop the chances tomorrow to about 20% then go about 40% on TUE and 60% on WED...
By the way the seasons 7th named storm formed this afternoon out near Bermuda...her name is Gert...
Should be no threat to the US...and I believe this is the first time we've had at least 6 named storms without one hurricane developing in modern history.
Have a great Sunday! I'll visit with you again tomorrow!
joe
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