Yellowstone Closed After Historic Flood; Some Areas Cropped –

Elena, Mont. (AP) – Communities on the border of Yellowstone National Park were cordoned off and tourists detained Tuesday after recorded flooding on roads and bridges in Montana and Wyoming, forcing all park entrances to close.

The flood was followed by a torrential downpour that accompanied the rapid melting of the snow and came as the summer tourist season grew.

Although many houses and other buildings were destroyed, no casualties were reported. Yellowstone officials said they are evaluating damage as a result of the storm, which swept over bridges, causing flooding and forced evacuation by boat and helicopter.

It is unclear how many visitors were restrained or forced to leave the park and how many people were rescued and evacuated out of the park.

Some of the worst damage occurred in the northern part of the park and in Yellowstone Gate communities in southern Montana. Photos from the North Yellowstone National Park Service show floodplains, bridges, and flooded roads from the Gardner and Lamar Rivers.

The floods disrupted the road to Gardiner, Montana, a town of about 900 people near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers at the crowded entrance on the northern side of Yellowstone. Cook City was also sealed due to flooding and evacuation was also released to Livingston residents.

Officials from the Park District, which includes these cities, said Monday night on Facebook, severe flooding across the country has made drinking water unsafe in many districts. Evacuation and rescue operations were conducted and officers urged people in a safe area to stay overnight.

The Montana National Guard said Monday it sent two helicopters to help evacuate southern Montana.

Corey Motis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Billing, Montana, said rain is not an immediate forecast and low temperatures will reduce snowmelt in the coming days.

“It’s a flood we haven’t seen yet,” Motis said.

Scientists say that climate change is responsible for more severe and often extreme events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods and forest fires, although individual weather events are usually not directly related to climate change. climate without extensive research.

The Yellowstone River in Corwin Springs rose to a height of 13.88 feet (4.2 meters) on Monday, from its previous record of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) in 1918, according to the National Weather Service.

In Gardiner’s cabin, Parker Manning saw the water rise and the river bank collapse into the floodwaters of the raging Yellowstone River near his front door.

“We set all the trees and debris floating in the river,” Manning, who hails from Terra Houth, Indiana, told The Associated Press. “He saw a lonely crazy kayer coming down, pretty mad.”

On Monday night, Manning witnessed flash floods flooding the opposite bank of the river, causing the house to fall into the Yellowstone River and almost float intact.

Floods flooded Red Lodge Street in the city of Montana, home to 2,100 people, a popular starting point for a beautiful, winding ride to the top of Yellowstone. Twenty-five miles (40 miles) northeast of Juliet, Kristan Apodaka wiped away her tears as she stood across the street from a washed-up bridge, The Billings Gazette. Reported.

The wooden cupboard owned by his grandmother, who died in March, was flooded as well as the park where Apodaka’s wife proposed.

“I am the sixth generation. “This is our house,” he said. “This is the bridge I actually crossed yesterday. My mom removed it at 3am before washing it. “

On Monday, Yellowstone officials evacuated the northern part of the park, where roads could remain impassable for long periods of time, park supervisor Kam Sholi said in a statement.

But the floods also damaged the rest of the park, with park officials warning of greater flooding and potential problems in areas with water supply and wastewater systems.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday it rained 2.5 inches (6 inches) in Yellowstone. The Beirut Mountains are 4 inches (10 centimeters) northeast of Yellowstone, according to the National Weather Service.

In south-central Montana, floods from the Stilwater River confined 68 people to one camp. On Monday, agencies and crew of Stillwater County Emergency Services, including the Stillwater Mine, rescued people from Woodbine Campground using sticks. Several streets in the district were closed due to flooding and residents evacuated.

“We will review the loss of homes and buildings when the water runs out,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Floods occurred in other parts of the U.S. Burn in hot and dry weather. More than 100 million Americans have been warned to stay indoors as a heatwave hits states, stretching from parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to Carolina.