“On the county level we’re prepared for two to three times the population of the entire county … Our gas stations will run out of gas, our grocery stores will run out of groceries”
By Tanya Chen | BuzzFeed
The tiny community of Lincoln County, Nevada, is bracing itself for potentially tens of thousands of people to torpedo through for the viral “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop Us” Facebook effort.
Officials of the county are so nervous about the potential impact on their towns and people that they’re trying to put emergency measures in place.
Lincoln County Commission Chair Varlin Higbee told BuzzFeed News that the closest residential township to Area 51 is Rachel, Nevada, which has a population of just 50 people. The population of the entire county potentially impacted by the internet stunt is a little over 5,000 people.
Millions of people have RSVP’d to the Facebook event, but its unclear how many, if any, will actually show up. Regardless, Higbee wants to be prepared.
“On the county level we’re prepared for two to three times the population of the entire county,” said Higbee. “10,000 to 30,000 people are showing up… Our gas stations will run out of gas, our grocery stores will run out of groceries.”
