We begin with tonight’s mud-delayed exodus from Burning Man. That’s the counterculture art festival held every year on what is typically a dry and dusty bed in the Nevada Desert. But over the weekend, a major downpour turns the ground there into thick mud, the cement-like sludge stranding more than seventy thousand people and forcing them sheltering in place and conserve food and water. Conditions at the makeshift city quickly turned bleak. One death was reported although there are no details yet on the cause of that death. With the ground so wet, many who tried to leave the remote area were stuck spinning their wheels or knee deep in mud. Tonight, the only road out is finally dry enough for people to slowly start making their way back to civilization.

We are right outside the camp site. And you can see just how remote this is about one hundred and forty miles from Reno. They may look like ants on your screen. But thousands of cars are snaking through the desert, barely moving. Today finally was moving day. But it was slow slog. Tens of thousands attending the event that celebrates being off the grid have been stuck in gridlock. There is just one road to leave the isolated Black Rock Desert. After two months of rain fell in one day. Burning Man officials warned festival goers to shelter in place. Not to try to make the more than five-mile trek out. The mud so thick even large vehicles couldn’t move. And those who chose to walk barefoot risked chemical burns because the mud is alkaline. Many took the risk to leave early, posting as they went.