The creator underestimated the allure
Matty Roberts was just joking. He didn’t believe anyone would take him seriously when, on June 27, he created a Facebook page for an event entitled “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.”
Roberts said he came up with the idea for the meme page after podcaster Joe Rogan interviewed Area 51 whistleblower Bob Lazar and filmmaker Jeremy Corbell. Lazar claims that he worked with an alien spacecraft while he was employed in one of Area 51’s underground facilities.
There are not enough accommodations
Rachel has a population of 54 and is surrounded by ghost towns and desert. The town boasts only four businesses in its city limits, and the Little A’Le’Inn is the only one that provides lodging and food.
According to its website, the inn is “booked solid.” The inn has 14 rooms, and camping space is now the last available option.
To make matters worse, Rachel’s only gas station closed in 2006, so visitors will have to fill their tanks 50 miles away in Alamo, Nevada.
The back gate of the top-secret military installation known as Area 51 is seen on July 22.
David Becker/Getty Images
“We could probably handle it, but it could definitely cause issues. Heaven forbid the number is 5,000 people where you almost double the size of the county,” he said.
But the number of people isn’t even Lee’s main concern. He said exposure to the environment is what he is worried about.
“I could see people with a lot of heat-related issues, and with our limited resources up here it could definitely jeopardize their safety. The number of people could overwhelm our EMS in a hurry,” he said.
CNN’s Ryan Prior, Maureen O’Hare, Lauren M. Johnson and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.