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UPDATE: Controversy swirls, plans form after Storm Area 51 temporarily taken down

Posted at 6:48 AM, Aug 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-07 06:48:25-04

UPDATE 12 A.M. AUG 7: Controversy is swirling after a viral Facebook event calling for people to storm Area 51 was abruptly taken down and then restored hours later.

The brief take down has not slowed progress on the planning for the event, which has taken on a life of its own in the form of an alien-style Woodstock.

"The number one important thing is safety," said George Harris with the Alien Research Center located in Hiko.

Harris has been busy planning logistics such as water, food, and entertainment for estimates of up to 30,000 people who may show up.

“They are going to come," said Harris.

"If we don’t do anything they are still going to come," added Harris.

"I’d rather do something and have some thing planned so you can funnel people through so you don’t have 30,000 people just running amok," explained Harris.

Harris said he has been on constant contact with local authorities in rural Lincoln County to coordinate the logistics.

Plans are in the works for ambulances, armed security, water and food to feed the people who plan to take part.

“I had a meeting yesterday with the [Lincoln] County Commissioners, trying to work out all of those logistics but I think we have everything covered," said Connie West with the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel.

West helps run the only hotel in Rachel which is the closet town to Area 51, which has a population of just more than 50 people.

West says the interest has only grown since the Facebook event was briefly taken down.

“Facebook shut everything down, and everybody went insane and now it’s back up but I don’t know the frenzy is insane," said West.

There's plans for live music and a festival-type atmosphere. New details are expected to be released in the next several weeks before the event.

UPDATE 11 A.M. AUG. 6: The original Facebook event page has been restored. According to the latest numbers on that event page, 2 million people are planning to storm Area 51 on Sept. 20 and another 1.4 million have indicated that they are interested in the event.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Storm Area 51 event page has been taken down by Facebook.

Conspiracy theorists believe Area 51 in Nevada is used to store UFOs and aliens.

RELATED: Man behind Area 51 says storming gates was a joke

The event suggested storming the classified base on Sept. 20 and claimed that the government couldn't "stop us all."

Millions of people indicated that they planned to storm Area 51 on the Facebook page and media outlets around the world began publishing or airing stories about the planned event.

RELATED: Feds warn UFO enthusiast against storming Area 51

Facebook says the post is a violation of its community standards.