Quote:
Originally Posted by Peggy Painter
But has it occurred to anyone who is complaining to think about how stressful it is to be responsible for a stadium full of people in the midst of a severe storm that showed signs of turning into a tornado?
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I appreciate your support of the staff and volunteers. I think FIRST handled it well, considering the last thing we wanted was panic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Grady
The people on the floor were well aware of the situation, and a plan was in place in case of any danger. The workers stayed focused because panic is as big of an enemy as anything else was. Thank you to all of the volunteers and staff who worked quickly to assure the safety of everyone in the building.
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I can vouch for Andy's statements. As someone sitting in the front row on Einstein, I was very, very quietly alerted in private that there was severe weather in the area.
Some of the people on the floor only heard the announcement. I was separately alerted because as a seasoned volunteer, I was asked if I would be willing to stay back and and help evacuate the VIP and Student Award sections as calmly as possible if the need arose. Of course, I agreed - once I was positive someone was going to be able to take my grandmother, father, and uncles - and keep them safe for me.
Like Andy said, if they'd said anything other than the announcements that were made, there would have been a great deal of panic. Panic would have created even more problems. The Dome staff assured us that the stands was one of the safest places to be. Their concern with the people on the floor was the rigging that held up the lights and curtains, hence the evacuation plan for if it got worse.
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On a slightly lighter note, someone mentioned this to me - if Dean hadn't spoken for so long/we hadn't replayed the matches... people could potentially have been outside, walking to their buses or hotels when the weather started. Maybe there was a slight silver lining to the Einstein issues...