I think some of you may have heard what happened there. If not, you will find out by my story. It started Thursday the 18th of august. Some friends and I were at one of the biggest and best festivals of Belgium, if not of Europe. After 2 months of rain and cold, it was blistering hot the few days I was at Pukkelpop. During the second day, Friday, we were at the Boiler Room - the Electronic Dance Music stage - enjoying Netsky's set. Suddenly it started raining, so we ran out to cool down in the rain. It was just a light drizzle for 20-30 minutes. Then at once wind speed was increasing and started raining quite hard. At that point I convinced my friends to go and take a look at the tents we had placed on the camping area. While we were walking to the exit of the main event area, we realised this was turning into a storm. Before we had walked a 100 meters there was hail, a few cm in diameter. The wind was getting incredibly strong, we could hardly stand up. By the time we got at the entrance of the camping site it looked like the apocalypse had started. By then they had recorded wind speeds of over 120km/h. Because of all the adrenaline pumping through our veins we managed to run the entire kilometre to our tents. In the meantime we ran past a large light tower made from scaffolds. Our tents were just around the corner. When we reached our tents we looked at that tower, and it toppled. On a couple of tents. Only 20 minutes after the storm started, the sun was shining again. To sum up what has happened: 36 litres of water per square metre in 20 minutes. 10 cm of water plus 10 cm of mud on the entire camping and event area. 20+ trees blown over by the strong winds 3 stages and tents collapsed 75% of the tents on the camping area were blown apart And then it started; rumours, panic, uncertainty.. 60.000 people trying to reach their family and friends to make sure they're ok, or to tell them they were ok. That meant that 50 times more people were on the phone network then it was designed for. It took until 4-5 hours after the storm before I could reach my parents. In the meantime I had heard all the rumours; 1 killed; 3 killed; 6 killed... 30 injured; 70 injured; 100 injured... Luckily a friend of us lived close by the camping area, so we could stay there. Final toll: 5 deaths, 70+ injured of which 3 are still fighting for their lives. Some videos: > (look at the upper right corner at about 1:58, that was the tower I mentioned) > >
Wow ... what a mess! Was there no forecast for that kind of weather that day? Glad to hear that you're ok, but by the sound of it, you might not have been if you were closer to your tent when that tower went down. Were you near enough to that tower with your tent? You just can't beat Mother Nature, that's for sure. Here in the US just last week I believe, there was a bad storm in Indiana at the Sugarland concert where the storm and winds picked up enough to collapse the stage. Sugarland missed being on stage by a minute or two and missed injury. I think the 6th victim just died today in the hospital, so it was quite tragic with many seriously injured as well. We're in the middle of our hurricane season right now in Florida, but so far, things are pretty calm, and they have been for a few years now, but you just never know. I'm close enough to the water that I'm in an evacuation area should we be threatened, and we have a pretty decent advanced notice system in place, and I have family I can go to on high ground, so it's not a problem. I remember years ago when we had more violent storms and several families would huddle together at someone's house and literally make a party out of it - too fun. Glad you're safe. :)
Oh my god Khaos, I did not know you were there and am very happy you are OK. I have been watching the Belgium television and people all over Belgium and especially in Hasselt are shocked. I have never been to Pukkelpop, but from what I hear it is a very friendly festival and people from the town of Kiewit all help to make it a great festival. I really wonder if next year there will be one again. MS9, they did not forecast this weather, sure maybe some rain, but usually weather like this does not happen in Belgium (and Holland). This mess happened in a space of maybe 15 minutes.
Thank you for the kind words :) They had forecast a storm, and all the stages can withstand a regular Belgian storm. They are built to resist winds of up to 120-130km/h. The storm was predicted to move just past the terrain. But for some reason we had a very local phenomenon, I think it's called a downburst. This happened right above the terrain. Initially the tents could withstand the wind, but of them collapsed because of a large branch falling on it. Another one collapsed because of the amount of rain that had fallen (35+litres/m^2 in 20 minutes). Nobody had anticipated this kind of event, because regular Belgian storms are nothing compared to what happened. And if they do happen, it's usually in the hills where nearly nobody lives. By now the KMI (Meteorological institute) has confirmed this was a disaster.
I'm so happy to hear you are ok - even though it was a chock for me to read, you where actual present when this horrible thing happened! One thing man can't control is the weather - makes you realise how vulnerable we are - and makes you treasure life even more. *hugs*
Wow. Glad to hear you are okay, khaos. I saw a video of the set of Skunk Anansie who were playing when the storm started really kicking in, and it looked very frightening. Again, good to see you made it out in one piece.
