dangerous flood caused heavy rains and rapid snowmelt began hit park and several counties in southern Montana on Monday laundry out or destroying roads and bridges and causing extensive damage on homes and enterprises.
And park officials told visitors already to leave there more than 10,000 left park from Monday, Park Superintendent Cam Scholley said Tuesday.
Although cooler temperatures and drier weather allowed some parts of swollen rivers to start retreating, higher temperatures are expected later this week and over the weekend, which could cause more meltwater runoff and, consequently, more flooding, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
“There will be no incoming visitor traffic in any of five entrances to the park, including visitors with booking lodging and camping until conditions improve and park infrastructure is assessed,” the park said in a statement.
Rapidly deteriorating road conditions in Yellowstone created appalling conditions for evacuation for some visitors, including parents of CNN oversees producer Tim Carter, who had to go out over bridge that has been compromised.
“When we were going over it was really scary because the water was already circling furiously around the bridge,” said Martha Carter. – We found out later when he was washed out.”
Meanwhile, some nearby communities were left without power or safe drinking water flood terms made it is impossible or unsafe to travel and the water supply is compromised.
Since the rescue efforts began on Monday, the Montana National Guard has evacuated at least a dozen people. people who were in a quandary in Roscoe, Fromberg and Cook City, force said in a news release on Tuesday.
Dramatic flooding calls for evacuation and rescue efforts
Fast rising water level flooded southern Montana homes, businesses and infrastructure on Monday, forcing many families to evacuate. But for some roads and bridges have become impassable due to the flood, leaving them trapped in times without clean drinking water or power.
The Montana National Guard sent four helicopters to assist. with evacuation in affected areas on Monday and Tuesday and also sent soldiers to city of Red Lodge to create a command center and help in search and rescue work, force said Tuesday.
The helicopter company of Montana made about 40 flights. people out of gardiner, city which acts as a gate to the entrance to the north park and has been isolated by flooding, Laura Jones with This was reported to CNN by Rocky Mountain Rotors.
The road from Livingston to Gardiner was reopened Tuesday to local traffic, goods and services, but ‘significant damage’ remainsPark County Sheriff Brad Bihler said. in a news conference.
Heavy rainfall and snowfall over weekends in the Beartooth and Absaroka mountain ranges that stretch across the border of Montana and Wyoming have created “total water event of at least 4 to 9 inches”, National Weather Service in Billings said on Tuesday.
What amount of stock looks like region receiving from 2 to 3 months of June precipitation in just three days, according to CNN Weather calculations. Terms caused the Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several of communities to capture.
Absaroka resident Tracey Planichek and her husband It was just reached their long-awaited goal of brand presence new home when flood the threat forced them to evacuate. Now, she told CNN, she desperately hopes she’s managed to avoid the destruction she’s seen. in Other homes a little of which were swept away.
“(We) could never afford new house- she said. – He’s upstairs. of lane and we hope by some god miracle that our house I will be there.”
The park has also closed yellowstone back country and was in contact with groups in in area.
We have contacted or know location of each back user country currently in Yellowstone,” Scholley said, noting that one group remained in northern range. According to him, evacuation by helicopter was not required.
No known injuries or deaths in park because of flooding, Scholley said, and officials don’t trust animals in the park was badly damaged.
The park’s southern loop “appears to have suffered less damage than the northern roads” and teams will try to determine when this cycle can be reopened. But officials expect even that loop to remain closed until at least Sunday, the park said in a statement.
Amanda Jackson of CNN, Caroll Alvarado and Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.
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