Heck, even Travis Meyer was saying on the news Tuesday night that people might want to consider the predicted storms for Weds. night before heading out to Oktoberfest.
They had plenty of warning, and it's certainly not the first thunderstorm to hit during Oktoberfest. In any event, it's a no win situation for organizers. The choice was to send festival-goers to their vehicles with a severe thunderstorm approaching, or stay under tents which have withstood thunderstorms in the past. That'd be a tough call, glad I'm not the person who was responsible for making it.
From Fox 23:
"Tonight, questions remain, could this disaster have been prevented? Why didn't organizers cancel the event, knowing severe weather was approaching, this after a storm had just swept through the area just hours before.
“We knew there was something behind it, but we had some information that it might bypass us. Our executive director had a direct line to one of our TV stations, so we had access to that information”, said event organizer Michael Sanders.
The National Weather Service reported storms were on the way. In fact, a tornado watch was in affect for Tulsa County and a severe thunderstorm warning was issued 20 minutes before the tent collapsed. FOX23 was putting out warnings at 5:17 p.m. The result was 60 mile per hour winds, strong enough to snap rope and bend steel beams in half, send them flying through the air, injuring 32 people.
FOX23 News was told it’s up to event organizers whether or not Oktoberfest stays open.
Mayor Taylor and event organizers say they haven’t heard anything about any possible lawsuits."
Source