PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Wind gusts, heavy rain and lightning have forced people to evacuate the media tents outside of the Wells Fargo Center and take shelter less than an hour before the opening gavel on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Officials say that the media tents in the vicinity of the Wells Fargo Center are not designed to fully protect people in the event of a direct lightening strike.
They’re strongly recommending that people leave their tents due to lightening that becomes a concern when the strikes are within a six-mile radius of the DNC and evacuate to Lincoln Financial Field nearby.
People are being told to exit through the magnetometer tents at the corner of 11th Street and Zinkoff Boulevard (north of the Media Pavilions) and enter through the Lincoln Financial Field 11th Street gate or the XfinityLive! gate just north of the 11th Street Gate.
From there they can proceed to the steps to the concourse from both gates. People who need to access the elevator are being directed to the lower concourse at the right of the concrete steps.
The area has been under a flash flood watch as of 2 p.m. which will last through 6 p.m. Friday.
Original Article:http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/07/28/heavy-rain-lightening-prompts-evacuations-at-the-dnc/
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