Indiana State Fair severe weather plan just 1 page

Indianapolis -- An emergency plan outlining what to do if severe weather threatens the Indiana State Fair takes up a single page and does not mention the potential for evacuations. Most of the guidelines suggest language for PA announcements and offer advice about seeking shelter.

After high winds toppled a huge outdoor stage, killing five people and injuring at least four dozen, questions about whether the fair did enough to anticipate a storm have loomed over the event. Some fairs hire their own meteorologists for just such a scenario.

 

The Indiana fair's one-page plan has nine bullet points. Two of them quote specific wording for announcements to be made when severe weather moves in and when the all-clear is sounded. State fair spokesman Andy Klotz confirmed Tuesday that the one-page statement is the event's severe weather policy but declined to elaborate.

While the page is part of an overall emergency plan, it's far less specific than the policies of other state fairs and outdoor venues, some of which have iron-clad rules about weather and stage construction.

Managers of the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tenn., ask engineers to review and approve onstage sound and lighting equipment.

At the Nebraska State Fair, national acts perform in a 7,000-seat indoor arena, while local acts use outdoor stages made of welded steel columns.

In Texas, the state fair's main stage has 54,000 pounds of concrete to secure scaffolding, drapes, banners and other heavy equipment.