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As Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas assess severe damage, region braces for more possible flooding

2022-06-15T15:03:15.746Z


In recent days, the waters forced the temporary closure of Yellowstone National Park and caused the evacuation of dozens of people.


Historic flooding affects Yellowstone Park 0:55

(CNN) --

As the turbulent waters begin to recede, after forcing the temporary closure of Yellowstone National Park and prompting the evacuation of dozens of local residents, park officials and communities in southern Montana assess the damage. catastrophic and brace for the possibility of more flooding in the coming days.

Although cooler temperatures and drier weather allowed rivers to begin to recede to normal levels, warmer temperatures are expected later this week and through the weekend, which could cause more flooding in the area due to the melting snow, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

"Maximum temperatures of between 15 and 21 degrees Celsius are expected in the highest areas (Friday and Saturday), which should melt much of the remaining snow cover and cause new flooding of the rivers," the National Weather Service said Tuesday. (NWS) in Billings.

Residents of Red Lodge, Montana, began cleaning up mud, water and debris from the town's main street on Tuesday.

(Photo: AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Dangerous flooding began Monday and Tuesday in the park and in several southern Montana counties, destroying or eroding roads and bridges and causing widespread damage to homes and businesses.

The rapid deterioration of roads in Yellowstone created difficult evacuation conditions for some visitors, including the parents of CNN supervising producer Tim Carter, who had to leave over a damaged bridge.

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"When we went over it, it was really scary because the water was already churning around the bridge," Martha Carter said.

"We found out later that it had collapsed."

More than 10,000 people have left the park safely since authorities announced they would close all entrances to visitors arriving on Monday.

Following the announcement, authorities prioritized evacuating the northern region due to "multiple road and bridge failures, landslides and other issues," Yellowstone Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said.

  • Record flooding forces Yellowstone National Park to close all its entrances, leaving local residents trapped

Meanwhile, some surrounding communities were left without electricity and potable water, as flood conditions made travel impossible or unsafe and compromised water supplies.

Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster Tuesday and announced he would seek an urgent presidential disaster declaration to help cover the cost of recovery.

Since rescue efforts began Monday, the Montana National Guard has evacuated at least a dozen people who were stranded in Roscoe, Fromberg and Cook City, the security force said in a news release.

The dangerous flooding is just one of several extreme weather events hitting communities across the United States, including a scorching heat wave affecting more than 100 million people, and severe storms that have left hundreds without power. of thousands of people in the Midwest and the Ohio River Valley.

Dramatic flooding prompts evacuations and rescues

The rapid rise in the water level flooded homes, businesses and infrastructure in southern Montana on Monday, forcing many families to evacuate.

But for some, roads and bridges were rendered impassable by the flood, leaving them trapped, sometimes without drinking water or power.

The Montana National Guard deployed four helicopters to assist with evacuations in the affected areas on Monday and Tuesday, and also dispatched soldiers to the town of Red Lodge to set up a command center and assist with search and rescue efforts, it said. on Tuesday the organism.

A helicopter company from Montana airlifted about 40 people out of Gardiner, the town that acts as the northern gateway to the park and was cut off by flooding, Laura Jones of Rocky Mountain Rotors told CNN.

The road from Livingston to Gardiner was reopened Tuesday to local traffic, goods and services, but "significant damage" remains, Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said at a news conference.

The highway between Gardiner and Mammoth was washed away by fast-moving waters.

(Photo: Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

Rain and snow runoff over the weekend in the Beartooth and Absaroka ranges, which straddle the Montana-Wyoming border, created a "water event total of at least 100 to 230mm," he said. this Tuesday the NWS in Billings.

That amount is similar to the region receiving 2-3 months of June rainfall in just three days, according to calculations by CNN Weather.

The conditions caused the Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several of the communities, to overflow its banks.

The Yellowstone River pressure gauge at Corwin Springs hit a record high of 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, according to NOAA data, but had receded to 9.34 feet Tuesday night.

  • The United States suffers a day of extreme weather with heat warnings, severe flooding and power outages for thousands

Absarokee resident Tracy Planichek and her husband had just reached their long-awaited goal of a new home when the threat of flooding forced them to evacuate.

Now, she told CNN, she desperately hopes she has prevented the destruction seen in other homes, some of which were swept away.

"(We) have never been able to afford a new house," he said.

"It sits at the top of the lane and we hope that by some miracle of God our house is still there."

In the park, the authorities made the decision that all visitors leave the accommodations and camping areas and go outside to avoid anyone being stranded, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a press release.

The park averages 15,000 to 20,000 visitors in June, Sholly said.

A road near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park suffered extensive flood damage.

(Photo: Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP)

The park has also closed the Yellowstone back country and has been in contact with groups in the area.

"We have contacted or know the whereabouts of all the back country users currently in Yellowstone," Sholly said, noting that there is a group that remains in the northern range.

No helicopter evacuation has been necessary, she said.

There are no known injuries or deaths in the park from the flooding, Sholly said, and officials don't believe the park's animals have been significantly affected.

Some areas of the park could be closed for a "considerable" time

The northern portion of the park is likely to remain closed for a "considerable time due to severe infrastructure damage," the NPS said in a news release.

In the northern parts of the park, which were hit the hardest by the flooding, roads suffered "extensive damage," with many stretches of road completely destroyed, the NPS said.

"The National Park Service will do everything possible to repair these roads as soon as possible," the NPS said.

"However, sections of highway in northern Yellowstone may not reopen this season due to the time required for repairs."

A collapsed bridge at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

(Photo: NPS via AP)

Park officials will conduct a full damage assessment once the waters recede, but are preparing for another "high water event" in the coming days, Sholly said.

CNN's Amanda Jackson, Caroll Alvarado and Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.

FloodingMontanaYellowstone National Park

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-06-15

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