No one really knows how many people will travel to rural Nevada next month for the "Storm Area 51" event seeking to learn, well, something about the U.S. government's alleged handling of UFOs and extraterrestial beings in the remote desert test area.
But leaders of a second Nevada county say that while there might seem to be plenty of space for thousands, perhaps millions, of visiting UFO hunters in the region, there is really no room for them — nor food, nor water, not even toilets.
The commissioners of Nye County voted unanimously to declare a preemptive state of emergency to prepare for expected influx of visitors for "Storm Area 51" events in nearby Lincoln County.
"Be prepared not to have cell service, not to have internet," said Commission Chairman Jon Koenig, since local cell phone towers are not equipped to handle such a heavy call volume.
"There will probably be no water available, there will probably be no ice available because everything is going to sell out," he added. "There will probably be no gas left in the gas station, no food, nowhere to go potty. If you're coming, be prepared because it's probably not going to be nice."
Local law enforcement is worried about gridlocked traffic and whether emergency responders will be able to do their jobs.
Nye Sheriff Capt. David Boruchowitz said people should not come.
Leaders of neighboring Lincoln County temporarily approved a similar emergency declaration last week, citing the same concerns about their community's ability to host thousands of visitors. The county has approved two events in tiny towns of Hiko and Rachel for Sept. 20-22.
In the town of Alamo, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, along U.S. Route 93, local business owners are preparing for the onslaught of visitors and the traffic.
"It's going to crash these whole towns. It's going to kill us," said Pam Broxson, a local inn owner. "It's going to devastate us, but I'm prepared as we can possibly get."
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