John Farley
Supporter
Two people were killed and many injured today in a tent collapse at a fair during a severe thunderstorm in Lancaster, NH.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/tent-collapses-at-lancaster-nh-fairgrounds/34514894
This comes one day after one person was killed and around 20 injured in a tent collapse at a festival in Wood Dale, IL.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-weather-forecast-20150802-story.html
In both cases, severe thunderstorm warnings were issued around 15 minutes before the collapse, but no action was taken to evacuate people to safer locations. In the Wood Dale, IL case, the story linked above notes that there was an evacuation plan but it was not activated. Both of these incidents are strikingly similar to a fatal tent collapse in St. Louis on April 28, 2012. These seems to be cases where there was not learning from the past - tents are not safe in severe thunderstorms. How many people have to die before this lesson is learned? Dealing with this does not require having a meteorologist on site at every fair, festival, or business where a tent is used or people are outdoors. But it does require having an evacuation plan, having someone monitoring for severe weather warnings, and putting the plan into effect when a warning is issued. It CAN be done - the Lollapalooza music festival with over 40,000 people was evacuated for the same storm that hit Wood Dale - something a lot more complex than evacuating a few hundred people. But to do this, whether the venue is large or small, does require a plan and someone with the authority to activate it.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/tent-collapses-at-lancaster-nh-fairgrounds/34514894
This comes one day after one person was killed and around 20 injured in a tent collapse at a festival in Wood Dale, IL.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-weather-forecast-20150802-story.html
In both cases, severe thunderstorm warnings were issued around 15 minutes before the collapse, but no action was taken to evacuate people to safer locations. In the Wood Dale, IL case, the story linked above notes that there was an evacuation plan but it was not activated. Both of these incidents are strikingly similar to a fatal tent collapse in St. Louis on April 28, 2012. These seems to be cases where there was not learning from the past - tents are not safe in severe thunderstorms. How many people have to die before this lesson is learned? Dealing with this does not require having a meteorologist on site at every fair, festival, or business where a tent is used or people are outdoors. But it does require having an evacuation plan, having someone monitoring for severe weather warnings, and putting the plan into effect when a warning is issued. It CAN be done - the Lollapalooza music festival with over 40,000 people was evacuated for the same storm that hit Wood Dale - something a lot more complex than evacuating a few hundred people. But to do this, whether the venue is large or small, does require a plan and someone with the authority to activate it.