The park announced Monday evening that all its gates were closed to visitors, announcing a “recording of flood events” and a forecast of future rain.
“Our first priority was to leave the northern part of the park where we had a lot of roads and bridges, debris and other problems,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a report. a speech on Monday.
“The river isn’t higher than my house,” said Elizabeth Aluck, who lives in Gardiner in Park County. Aluck told CNN Monday evening that he could not leave because the streets and bridges around his home had been washed away.
An Indian family living in a short -lived apartment in Gardiner told CNN they would leave Monday morning, but the floodwaters left them.
“The water level was high on Saturday but in the last 10-12 hours it’s been even harder,” Parker Manning said. “Our way out of town is on the north side at 89, but those streets are under water.”
The Yellowstone River, which flows through the park and some Park County towns, was swept away at a record high on Monday due to heavy downpours and heavy flow from melting. of snow at high altitudes, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
Some were released and others were arrested
Due to the loss of some roads and bridges that are inaccessible to floodwaters, tobacco authorities and counties are working to abandon what they can and provide support. to those who cannot leave.
The Park County Police Department issued a restraining order until 7 a.m. Monday for offenders of the 52.5 -mile stretch on U.S. Highway 89 South, the Facebook post said.
The National Guard and local search and rescue teams are assisting with evacuation and rescue in the county, including two air raids and one emergency water rescue, the county said.
Nearby in Carbon County, Montana, the water has disrupted service lines, leaving customers at Red Lodge without power, officials said.
Meanwhile, several roads and bridges in Yellowstone have been damaged by flooding, park officials said. The videos show that the tobacco has been released on sections of the highway that have been washed away or damaged.
Due to forecasts of high water levels and concerns about water and water systems, the park began moving visitors from the south side of the park on Monday, he said. Sholly.
“We don’t know when the park will reopen until the water flow decreases and we can evaluate the damage around the park,” Sholly said. “Maybe the right loop will be closed for a while longer.”
The increase in rainfall strengthens the flow of water
In June, rain in northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana received more than 400% of the national average, according to Miller.
The increase in rainfall was combined with near -recorded temperatures in the country where snow melted at high altitudes, the NWS said in Riverton, Wyoming. On Sunday night, snow flowed into streams and rivers, further increasing the flow of water, the NWS said.
In addition to the record recorded in Corwin Springs, the Yellowstone River reached 10.9 feet in Livingston, Montana, Monday ahead of the 1997 record of 10.7 feet, according to the NWS in Billings, Montana.
CNN’s Sara Smart, Claudia Dominguez, Raja Razek, Brandon Miller and Amanda Jackson gave the show.