Last night, Thursday March 17th, a severe storm ripped through Gulf Wars in Gleann Abhann. Official word from the staff is that there was a severe thunderstorm with straight line winds. A couple announcements:

• All activities for Friday are cancelled. Things will be reevaluated Friday afternoon.
• Troll is still open. Cars are still allowed to enter site. All traffic is one way such as on opening day.
• If you need a warm place to sleep, please contact watch. There are available options.

Æthelmearc folks are well and accounted for, some leaving site for hotels, some remaining. There was some damage in the Kingdom camp, but they fared better than others, and the Kingdom pavilion is still standing, thanks to efforts by all in camp.

Reports from Scadians on site via social media are that the storm arrived Thursday afternoon during a rattan battle, and developed into heavy rains, high winds, and dime-sized hail by early evening. Only one serious injury has been reported so far: a lady from the Midrealm was sent to the hospital with a possible concussion but is reported to be recovering. As always, people banded together to help each other out: royal cabins and merchants with large tents or buildings took in refugees, food vendors and large households offered hot drinks and soup, gentles gave extra blankets, cloaks, and coats to those in need, and numerous people braved the weather to check on their friends. We’re told that Imperator Tindal personally made sure that all of His subjects were safe, as did the Kings of Atlantia and Trimaris. Some people retreated to hotels for the night after their tents went down or were flooded, while others remained on site to try to prevent further damage to tents and pavilions. The rain stopped late Thursday night, but another band of storms is predicted to arrive on Friday night and continue into Saturday.

UPDATE FROM THE AUTOCRATS, ~2:00 PM MARCH 18:

Site is open! We have beautiful skies and neighbors helping neighbors today. We will not be closing until Sunday as normal.

Gulf Wars will remain open. All activities except Known World Party are postponed including classes. More details on Known World Party will follow. Site will close Sunday (3/20/2016) at normal time.

Known World Party will be in the Main Hall at 7:00 PM. Food and beverage donations will be accepted at the party. Come in whatever you have dry (including mundane) to celebrate.