The winds on Saturday night have been estimated at 60-70 mph. Officials at the Symphony on the Prairie concert that same night made the decision to cancel the concert and evacuate people because of the oncoming threat of severe weather. At the state fair, the band Sugarland delayed coming onto the stage until the threat had passed. It was a decision that probably saved their lives. Now many are left wondering why fans at the state fair weren’t evacuated as the storm moved in.
Others have raised questions about the safety of the stage structure. State fair officials haven’t said if the stage and rigging were inspected before Saturday’s show. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said no one from their department inspected the stage, nor did any state fire marshals conduct any inspections. City officials said they legally can’t conduct inspections on state property. It will be months before the investigation is complete and people start getting answers.
So my question to you this week is “Do you think people should’ve been evacuated Saturday night? Could something have been done to prevent this tragedy? Should someone be held responsible, or was it just a freak accident?” Answers are due no later than, Tuesday, August 23rd, 2001. To those of you who were at the fair Saturday night, or who know someone affected by this tragedy – my heart and prayers go out to you.
My roommate and her friends were actually there when it happened, luckily they walked away from that without a scratch. From what I can tell based on her account, it was just a freak accident that no one expected. I think the only one who should really be held responsible for this is Mother Nature. She was probably a bit cranky last weekend and threw a bit of a tantrum for some odd reason.
ReplyDelete(On an unrelated note, here's that Obama in Okami thing I told you about: http://kotaku.com/5077840/obama-wins-election-becomes-sun-goddess-not-president Hehehe.)
ReplyDeleteI think people should've been evacuated as the storm grew nearer. I had walked outside earlier that day and saw how bad the clouds were. I realized that we were going to have a pretty bad storm. I'm used to the Indiana weather and it's easier to predict. Yes, something could've happened to prevent this tragedy. But no, it didn't and turned into a freak accident. I had several friends that were at the fair Saturday and luckily none of them were hurt. To those that lost someone in the accident, my heart goes out to you and your loved ones.
ReplyDelete~Erica
We, as a species, are too concerned with always assigning fault and responsibility to everything that happens. The word accident by definition means that there is no responsibility and yet we always calmore and fuss to try and place it.
ReplyDeleteI say place the blame on the people that were there to begin with. 1) They knew there was a nasty storm about to come through yet they choose to stay out in it. You don't need some authority figure coming in forcing you to evacuate, use a bit of common sense. 2) Lots of people crammed into a small space like that is just asking for trouble to happen.
I do believe that, although the winds came very abruptly, people should have been begun to be evacuated to the nearest buildings nearby. Even if the winds came and passed within the short amount of time, it still could have potentially saved lives. I'm incredibly surprised security didn't even try to move the people further from the stage. It's difficult to put blame on anybody because the gravity of the storm wasn't predicted to be this severe.
ReplyDeleteMost certainly people should have been evacuated...better to take precaution than to jus wing it. This isn't a quiz ur taking in class...this is something that could very easily become tragic in seconds...and what happened??? Innocent people at the fair jus wanting to have a good time lost their lives. I'm not blaming it on the officials of the fair that didn't take the specific cautions...but something should have been done.........Michael green.
ReplyDeleteThere are always things to prevent other things, that's a ridiculous question. They probably should have been evacuated, but the thing is there have been storms before and the stage didn't collapse so how could anyone foresee this happening. If we start evacuating people from things every time the wind picks up nothing would ever get done. No one was aware that it was going to get severe. I wasn't there I have no idea what the events were leading up to it. So at this point I'm pretty much just talking bullshit. I think the only people who could actually say what could have been done are the people who were there.
ReplyDeleteI think people should have been evacuated for their safety, at the same time this accident was nothing but a freak accident. Though these freak accidents are what make people think "how could we avoid this from happening again". I do believe that people will find answers and that the families can find a way to move on.
ReplyDeletePeople should have been evacuated , because we were having the severe weather conditions. This was no freak accident I really think they need to inspect the stage every time they put it up just for safety sake. I'm really sad for those people who got hurt or killed at this tragedy. I know a girl that was supposed to go, but she couldn't because of work so she gave up her ticket which I think that's luck! Other than that I think that next year they will be more cautious about the weather.
ReplyDeleteEven though I wasn't there, I was miles south enjoying a cookout. On that note, being outside it was obvious that the impending weather was going to be bad. Weather reports were talking about wind gusts that were upwards of 70 miles an hour.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal belief, I believe that the officials at the state fair should have evacuated those who were going to be clearly in danger. If it wasn't safe for Sugarland, it shouldn't of been safe for the spectators.
Seven total victims now. A true tragedy.
I think that everyone that was sitting on the track sound of been moved ether off the track or into the stands. They knew that the storm was coming and new the damage the winds could do so moving the people off the track would of prevented this, or better yet they should of just canceled the show. And I think there is some blame on the stage company, they do build it, and i also think the fans are at fault, they should of thought about the storm coming and if it was safe to be out in it.
ReplyDeleteI think that people should have been evacuated by the moment they knew that there was a bad condition weather. They knew that a storm were coming so I just can't believe they stayed there instead of move to a safety place. Every time that a storm is coming there is a sign for evacuation so what happened that day with the sign or tornado alert that sounds every Friday at 11? why didn't people use it to prevent people for a such big storm?
ReplyDeleteI believe that people should have been evacuated because we all knew that a big storm was coming in. It was a freak accident and with almost all freak accidents there is always some kind of precaution that normally could have been taken before hand. At least the people on the track should have been moved knowing that storm was coming in.
ReplyDeleteI believe that people should always be evacuated even when it starts raining. It was starting to look pretty bad and you could see people trying to evacuate before it hit. It's whoever set up the stage's fault because they should be cautious and make sure that the stage is sturdy to withstand the weather.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the people that went should have used common sense and realized that the storm was coming in. Its obviously a tragedy that this happened and some things are just out of our hands, but sometimes we have to take care of our selves and not just listen to silence. Meaning I don't believe anyone said they should evacuate the area, but at the same time no one said it was safe to be there also. Maybe we should be more proactive when it comes to making decisions about our safety and not putting our lives in the hands of others just to play the blame game. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteI definitely Think we should have evacuated, but you can't always plan for things like this. Sometimes things just go wrong. The thing that frustrates me about how this situation is being handled is the bureaucracy and red tape with the investigation. These "officials" will spend forever trying to figure out who needs to figure out what, instead of doing anything about the investigation. Stupid.
ReplyDelete-Nick Cassady
I was on my way to a funeral in Kentucky when this storm hit. I was actually driving in it...
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a horrible tragedy and I feel it could in part have been avoided. The fair and state were notified 3 days in advance of inclement weather was coming. 60-70 mph winds can rip the roof off of the verizon wireless pavilion. Let alone the state fairs that is way less secured. So, the fair should have taken action and closed the concert for that evening and refunded or postponed the event.