Erik August 20, 2011, 7:15 am
Alright, here's my story about the storm.
It was a beautiful day, warm temperature (about 28 degrees Celcius), nice sun and some cool bands. Around half past 5 I went to the Main Stage to watch Skunk Anansie. The band started playing under a few clouds, but mostley clear sky. Halfway through the show, it started raining. I found shelter from it, under a plastic sail that some people had to sit on and held above their head. They let me stand under there too. After a short while, the rain stopped. I thanked the people and took some steps forward again.
About 5 minutes later, it started raining agian. So I looked behind me and saw those people with the sail again. I steped under it again and then it all came down. It went from rain to storm, from storm to hurricane in just one minute. The clouds made it so dark that it looked like midnight on the middle of the day. Rain looked like it was going horizontal, instead of going down. Everything that was lose, flew in the air and a lot of things that were attatched to something came lose too. And if that wasn't enough, there was hagel coming down at sizes of golfballs.
I had a lot of luck. I stood under the edge of the sail with the wind in my back, which means that there were a lot of people behind me. I haven't felt anything of the strong wind myself, haven't felt the hagel or hard rain. I only saw it. I actually was soaked though, because the water just went everywhere. Skunk Anansie tried to finish their show, but were pulled off by the crew of the festival. The wind just went right into the Main Stage. Their drummer (everyone how has ever seen a band perform knows the drummer on the back of the stage) was soaked too.
After 10 minutes, the storm stopped and eventually the rain stopped too. There was a huge atomosphere around the Main Stage of people that went just like "Alright, that was a freakish storm. When does the next band come up, so we can start partying again?", and I actually felt the same way except that I wanted to get back to the campsite to see the damage to my tent. When I turned around and started walking, I saw what the storm really caused.
On the corner of the field of the Main Stage, there was a booth with computers where you could use the internet. A tree smashed right into it. Security had set an area around it that we weren't allow to go into. When I came just a little further, I could see that the Chateau, one of the tent stages, was completely down. The tent was lying on the ground. Also the steel structure that was placed between two festival area's as a gate, was lying on the ground. I realised that what happened was big and that there must have been a lot of injuries, so I started texting my parents that, whatever they heard, I was okay. I didnt get through. Mobile comunication was almost completely out. I tried calling them over and over again and it took me 30 minutes to call my mom. She hadn't heard the news yet and was glad that I called.
When I arrived at the camping, everything looked quite good. About 1 out of 10 tents were damaged, but the camping itself seemed in good condition. I walked straight through some mudpiles towards my tent, to find 4 of my 6 friends that went with me. All of our tents were fine. 2 of them had a little water in them (went through ventilation holes), but mine was completely dry. Not long after I returned, the fith friend came. We only had to wait for 1 more. We dicided to stay at our tents and wait for information.
The first info we got, was that there was a second storm coming and we had to leave our tents. We set them up close to some trees and one of them already came down in the storm, cruhing 15 tents (and injuring 3 people). I knew some friends that were also on the festival and had set up their tents like a houndred meters further. I went there to ask if we could take shelter there and they immideately said yes.
When I went back to get my friends, they I heard that 3 of my friends already packed their bags and left. The three of us went back to the other friends and waited there for a storm that never came. After a while, I went back to our tent to see if our last friend was there. He wasn't but our neighbours are. Apperently, they were with him somewhere at the Main Stage too during the storm. They lost him, but at least we knew that he was okay too.
After a while my other 2 friends (that were at my other friends in the middle of the camp site) came back and we started to prepare ourselves for the night in our own tents (the storm never arrived). Our neighbours had a problem. Their tent was completely soaked during the storm and weren't able to sleep in it. Luckely for them, our 3 friends that left, left their tents at the festival. So we said they could use those tents. Later on, our last friend arrived at the tent unharmed. Apperently, he was at an area that was closed in due to the removal of debris and stuff. He couldn't leave that area untill it was clear. His mobile phone wasn't working anymore. I let him use my phone and he called home, saying that he was alright.
Right before we went to bed, we heard on the radio that the festival would continue a day later. We all said we wanted to stay, but also decided that the real discion about staying or going would be made in the morning.
The next morning we woke up and heard that the rest of the festival was in fact cancelled, so we dicided to pack up our stuff and leave before the huge crowd would leave. Around half past 8 we were on the station, waiting for a train back home. We took our neighbours with us and led them to Brussels, where they had to go to the ambassy. They were from Australia and their passports were soaked and destroyed by the water.
Around 3 PM I arrived at home and could finaly sit down and get a hold of the shock. I just went on auto-pilot for a while, making sure everyone got back safe, finding shelter and make our way back home and stuff.
We were all really lucky.
Sure as hell can't hold down a job. Not too many professions out there that value forgetfulness. Prostitution, maybe. Politics, of course.solo2001 owes me $50!You blocked me on Facebook and now you're going to die! - Knife Party
Man, concertgoers have not had it easy lately.
