Burning Man flood that trapped 73,000 in mudbath was 'God's judgement', senator says
Republican politicians, Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, say God was behind the heavy downpour that blighted the Burning Man festival and trapped thousands
The floods that left 73,000 people stranded in the Nevada desert at Burning Man festival was actually the "judgement" of God, according to one prominent US politician.
As Burners conserved food and water, preparing to begin an exodus when conditions allowed, two Republicans in congress said their misery was actually a message from up high.
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah had already condemned the goings on at the event in Nevada, which includes activities like a morning 'circle jerk' and an Orgy Dome, and said God may have had a hand in putting a stop to it.
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The devout Mormon highlighted some of the wild sexual activities that some attendees took part in during the festival as news of the disaster continued to unfold.
Taking to Twitter, Lee wrote: "This isn't healthy. God's judgment is real."
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, also weighed in on the muddy festival goers during an appearance on Alex Jones‘ InfoWars show on Sunday night.
She said she wanted to talk about Burning Man, before Jones interrupted to allege that festival-goers had staged a “mock sacrifice” before the weather turned dangerous.
To which Greene replied, “God has a way of making sure everyone knows who God is.”
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Massive rainfall trapped the 'Burners', who were geared up to survive life in desert conditions, with organisers of the iconic annual event shutting the gates to stop everyone from leaving after an unexpected weather system took hold.
Tens of thousands of stranded revellers were told to conserve their food and water as they were forced to live in squalid muddy conditions.
At least one fatality has been reported, with 32-year-old Leon Reece identified as the man who lost his life.
President Joe Biden told reporters in Delaware on Sunday that he was aware of the situation at Burning Man, including the death, and the White House was in touch with local authorities.
By Monday afternoon the muddy roads had dried up enough to allow them to begin their exodus from the northern Nevada desert.
Event organizers said they started to let traffic flow out of the main road around 2pm - even as they continued urging attendees to delay their exit to help ease traffic on Monday.
The road closures came just before the first of two ceremonial fires signalling an end to the festival was scheduled to begin Saturday night.
The event traditionally culminates with the burning of a large wooden effigy shaped like a man and a wood temple structure during the final two nights, but the fires were postponed as authorities worked to reopen exit routes by the end of the Labor Day weekend.
Amid the flooding, revellers were urged to conserve their food and water, and most remained hunkered down at the site.
Some attendees, however, managed to walk several miles to the nearest town or catch a ride there.
Cindy Bishop, who travelled from Boston for her second Burning Man, said spirits were still high at the festival when they had left at dawn on Monday morning.
"The spirit in there," she said, "was really like, `We're going to take care of each other and make the best of it."'
Rebecca Barger, a photographer from Philadelphia, arrived at her first Burning Man on Aug 26 and was determined to stick it out through the end.
"Everyone has just adapted, sharing RVs for sleeping, offering food and coffee," Barger said.
"I danced in foot-deep clay for hours to incredible DJs."