A group of nearly 50 people gathered at a pair of Nevada National Security Site gates early Friday morning claiming they were there for "Storm Area 51."
At approximately 2:20 a.m., reports arrived from the Nye County Sheriff's Office operational command in Amargosa Valley that nearly 30 people had gathered at the Alien 51 Travel Center. The crowd quickly grew to approximately 50 people before moving towards a nearby security gate.
The Emergency Operation Center was activated at 3 a.m. by Nye County Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office to monitor the situation.
The crowd was met outside the gate by Sheriff's Deputies. The crowd remained peaceful, and there were no attempts to cross the security perimeter.
By 4:30 a.m., the crowd had cleared. However, some of the group arrived at the Mercury gate but had dispersed by 5 a.m. The crowds at both locations remained peaceful, and no citations or arrests were made.
Sheriff's Office reports that nearly 100 people had gathered at both gates during a three hour period. Crowds had been cleared by 6 a.m.
Nye County public safety will continue to monitor activity throughout the day and will provide any incident reports as needed.
Traffic on U.S. Highway 95 continues to flow smoothly through Amargosa Valley and Mercury areas.
Temporary flight restrictions outside NNSS site from Mercury past Amargosa Valley bordering U.S. 95 will continue through 8 p.m. Sunday, September 22nd. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the temporary flight citing "special security reasons."
Emergency Management and the Sheriff's Office continue to be in contact with the towns and businesses along U.S. 95 in Nye County to assure the health and safety of our residents and visitors.
The focus for Storm Area 51 events has shifted to neighboring Lincoln County the past few weeks. Nye County has not permitted any festivals or large gatherings.
County Emergency Management and Sheriff's Office continues to work with its partners at the state and federal level to be prepared for any contingency.