Event organisers to need to heed weather warnings

The Herald

2 days ago

Many of the iconic photographs of the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 show a muddy mess as fans had fun in the mud after a large thunderstorm on the Sunday of the festival.
That did not dampen the crowd's spirits and nobody was killed or injured by lightning during the event.
This was the 'hippy' era of love and peace, with plenty of free love and great music that has and will live for generations to come. Some of the music industry's biggest icons were made at the event.
My interest was pricked when I read the headline 'Steve Miller Band unexpectedly pulls the plug on entire North American tour'.
My first impression was that it was due to band members' health problems, as they are long in the tooth, or for political reasons, a subject that is becoming boring lately, especially in the entertainment industry.
How amazed I was at the real reason for the cancellation, which was cited as 'risky weather patterns'.
I know that the older folk would say that the legendary rockers would never let something as trivial as the weather interfere with their concert.
However, considering all the weather tragedies of late in the US, I think this is a responsible move, though Freddie Mercury (Queen) sang 'The show must go on'. I don't think he would have put his fans in danger.
Incidentally, the Steve Miller Band tour was set to start on August 15, the same date as Woodstock in 1969.
'The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest fires make these risks for you, our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable,' the band said. 'So you can blame it on the weather; the tour is cancelled.'
The Texas flooding, with the Camp Mystic tragedy, are not the only weather woes the US has experienced lately.
Some headlines in the last week have been: 'Summer fishing trip turns deadly as lightning strike claims lives of 2 teens' and 'Lightning strike injures 20 at popular South Carolina vacation getaway'.
If that is not tragic enough another headline read: 'Honeymoon ends in tragedy as lightning strike claims newlywed's life on Florida beach'.
In addition, this is hurricane season in America, between June and November, so you can appreciate that the band made a wise decision.
Many event organisers ignore the perils of severe weather. I think they are like the proverbial ostrich. Stick your head in the sand and hope all will go away.
In 2011 there were five fatalities after a violent thunderstorm shredded canvas tents and brought down metal scaffolding at an open-air Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium, attended by 60,000 festival-goers.
In 2016 at a rock music festival in Germany, lightning strikes injured 71 people in the 90,000-strong crowd.
Many might say that only happens on the other side of the pond, but we have had incidents in the Bay where there was a collapse of a tent at an Ironman event, causing injuries that ended up in litigation.
The same occurred when a jumping castle slide toppled during another outdoor event.
It is interesting that America Online (AOL), in April this year, published an article titled 'Outdoor Events and Weather Emergencies: Tornadoes and Lightning Threaten These Venues'.
In the article they referred to the fact that in recent years extreme weather had struck large public gatherings with little warning.
They referred to golf fans being struck by lightning at a PGA Tour event and an Indianapolis 500 event that had to be abruptly cut short as a tornado passed nearby.
It is possibly this article that led to the Steve Miller Band considering the safety of their fans and crew as reference was made to this year's extreme heat and that those attending concerts, sports and festivals needed to be prepared for the possibility of some of nature's more dangerous outbursts.
No event organiser can control the weather or foresee a severe event. However, they must be aware of the risks and possibilities of such events, and do as much to minimise the risks through planning events when severe weather is not generally common.
Forecasts and constant weather warnings are imperative. Ultimately organisers must have the courage of their convictions to cancel such events at short notice.
The cost and time of litigation after the fact can be taxing on the company or organisation.
This week in history:
1989: Strong winds in Graaff-Reinet result in widespread damage, especially to informal structures.
Dam Levels
68.37%, slightly down from previous week ' s 68.81%.
Impofu down to 50.40%.
Weather Safety Tips:
When pitching a tent for camping or an event, always double stake tent stays if strong winds are expected. Ensuring tent flaps are tightly secured is vital to prevent excessive wind from entering the area and causing an additional upward force to lift the tent.