Area 51 Events Lead to Emergency Crowd Planning

 

Officials in Nevada fear large numbers of people could be coming to the southern part of the state next month.

Local officials this week approved two events for small desert towns near the United States military base known as Area 51. Area 51 is known in popular culture as a research center for government studies of creatures from outer space and alien spaceships.

The officials have prepared an emergency declaration¹. They also plan to work with neighboring counties and the state government for events tied to an internet-based campaign called “Storm Area 51.”

Area 51 was once a top-secret U.S. Air Force test area. The base is part of Nevada’s Lincoln County, which is home to about 5,200 people.

Lincoln County Commission² Chairman Varlin Higbee told The Las Vegas Review-Journal that he and other officials are worried about the possibility of large crowds.

“With the possibility of 35,000 to 40,000 people showing up, yeah, this is serious,” said Higbee.

County officials are concerned that a sudden increase of visitors will crowd campsites, fuel stations and public medical and telecommunications services. Officials count just 184 hotel rooms in the county, which is nearly two times the size of the state of Connecticut.

“The cellphone system is going to go down,” Higbee said. “You get more than a couple of hundred people there, and it’s going to crash. Cell service won’t be available.”

The Little A’Le’Inn is a hotel in the community of Rachel, which has a population of about 50. The hotel’s owners are planning a three-day music show called Alienstock, named after the famous 1969 music festival Woodstock.

Alienstock is set to take place from September 20 through September 22. A’Le’Inn co-owner Connie West has said she is expecting 10,000 people for the event.

The Alien Research Center is a souvenir and gift shop in Hiko, a town of about 120 people. The store is planning an event of its own on September 20 and 21.

The events resulted from an internet post inviting³ people to run into the hard-to-reach test area in the Nevada desert.

Area 51 has long been the center of conspiracy⁴ theories that the military uses the base to study aliens and test their technology.

Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said earlier this week he was meeting with state emergency planning officials.

County officials have also met with officials from the Las Vegas Metropolitan⁵ Police Department, the sheriffs of two nearby counties, and the Nevada Highway Patrol⁶.

Eric Holt, county emergency manager, asked commissioners⁷ to “pre-sign” the emergency declaration.

Higbee, who has the power to make a declaration, said it would let Lincoln County seek financial help and emergency personnel⁸ from the state.

“We don’t know where or how far our resources are going to go,” he said. “A lot of it is equipment and financing⁹. The county only has so much money to deal with.”

Higbee added that visitors should not to try to enter Area 51.

“We don’t want them going down to government property; it will probably be blocked off,” he said. “We don’t want civilian¹⁰ people in contact with the military at all. That will get ugly.”

The conditional¹¹ permits require festival and event organizers to provide final plans to the Lincoln County Commission by September 3.

I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

alien – adj. from somewhere other than the planet Earth

county – n. an area of a state or country that is larger than a city and has its own government to deal with local matters

campsite(s) – n. a place where people can put up a movable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas¹² or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes

souvenir – n. something that is kept as a reminder¹³ of a place you have visited or an event you have been to

post – n. a message on an online message board

conspiracy theories – n. theories that explain an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by usually powerful people or groups

sheriff – n. an elected official who is in charge of enforcing the law in a county or town of the U.S.

highway – n. a main road that connects cities and towns

personnel – n. the people who work for a particular company or organization

ugly – adj. very bad or unpleasant

1 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

2 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

3 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 patrol   

v.巡逻，巡查；n.巡逻，巡查，巡逻队

参考例句：

• They attacked two soldiers on patrol.他们袭击了两名正在巡逻的士兵。
• Policemen patrol the streets.警察在街上巡逻。

7 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 personnel   

n.[总称]人员，员工，人事部门

参考例句：

• The personnel are not happy to change these rules.全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。
• Personnel has lost my tax forms.人事部门把我的税收表格给弄丢了。

9 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

12 canvas   

n.粗帆布，一块油画布

参考例句：

• The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
• Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。

13 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。