Yep, guest Al - I saw the Courier article, and it describes just the kind of info we needed:

"Stone said depending on where campers are located, they will be diverted to one of five locations."

The problem was that that's NOT WHAT HAPPENED.

There were several places "listed" as gathering spots, beginning at first with two, then going to five, then with three omitted, then with one added back:

The city lake is booked months in advance for this festival by people who choose to camp offsite - according to WVA prior information, so it might not be a good spot to go to if it's already full.

The county lake is also booked months in advance by those who choose to camp there while attending the festival, and info said there was a fishing tournament also booked for this weekend, so all the existing camp sites were already full.

Only one of these two lakes was listed, but there was considerable confusion so people went to both. Early arrivals at both lakes phoned back reports of "seas of mud" with no stable sites, no power, and no water. The weather forecast includes up to 5 or 6 inches of additional rain in the next day or two.

The Walmart parking lot (the FIRST SITE GIVEN) lacks both water and electrical hookups. Some big campers carry a lot of water and have generators, but those of us in smaller units have very limited "carry with" supplies of water, and some of us REQUIRE electrical power for medical reasons. It's also incredibly difficult, and not approved practice, to drive tent stakes in an asphalt parking lot.

The "auction barn" location is unknown to most people, and the location was only vaguely described, with NO INFORMATION on what facilities were available there.

Nobody was told where or how to assemble to be ready to go back to the fairgrounds. They were just told to get out, with vague suggestions of some places they might go. There was no indication of when (if) camping might resume, so going to a "remote" campsite with uncertain facilities is not an inviting prospect, especially given the absence of any estimate of how long you might be there.

Instructions from the radio on how to get out were countermanded by police and sheriff deputies directing traffic, so
I wouldn't be surprised if some people are still wandering around on back roads in unfamiliar territory. The roads that the "official" radio told us to take were blocked by police.

Being FM, and essentially line-of-sight reception, the "official" station can't be received by most people even in the places it was suggested we go. A shortest-distance tour of the sites listed, to see if one was "habitable" would appear to be about a 50 mile trip.

After spending three weeks sitting there just to get a space and with no indication that it will be possible to return, or even any indication of whether "there's a plan" it's a little confusing.

John