No inbound traffic will be allowed “until conditions stabilize and the park can assess damage to roads and bridges,” the post added. The North, Northeast, West, South and East entrances are all closed.
“Our first priority was to evacuate the northern part of the park, where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues,” Chief Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement.
Visitors will be evacuated from the park’s southern loop later Monday due to expected higher flood levels and concerns about water and wastewater systems, the statement said.
The northern loop is likely to be closed “for a significant amount of time” and the park’s reopening will be determined after the floodwaters have abated and damage has been assessed.
Park personnel are working with the county and state to provide support to residents of Gardiner, Montana, a town just north of the park that is currently isolated from the hazardous conditions, the statement said.
Multiple parts of the park are also experiencing power outages, the park said in its posts.
“With even more rain forecasted, the park does not want large numbers of day trippers to get stuck in the park,” the park said on Facebook and its website.
“The river has never been higher near my house,” said Elizabeth Aluck, a resident of Gardiner, which serves as a gateway for visitors.
On Monday afternoon, Aluck said she was unable to evacuate as roads and bridges in the area have been washed away.
‘It has gotten worse’
A family staying for a short time in a rental house in Gardiner near the park entrance is now unable to leave their rental house due to flooding in the area.
Indiana couple Melissa and Parker Manning told DailyExpertNews that they arrived at their rental home with their family on Saturday and were expected to leave Monday morning.
“That’s not happening anytime soon,” Parker Manning said. “Water levels were high on Saturday, but in the past 10-12 hours it has gotten worse.”
The pair joined a call with emergency officials on Monday afternoon. Officials on the call suggested local businesses consider food rationing, just in case.
Manning said they went to the grocery store and everyone was smart about what to stock up on and didn’t panic.
“Our way out of town would be north at 89, but those roads are all under water right now,” Manning said.
The couple has no idea when they will be able to leave town, but Manning hopes that will be within the next 48 hours.
The host of their rental was very understanding of the situation, Manning added.
Avoid streams and creeks
Earlier Monday, the park said in a press release that roads in the northern part of the park would be temporarily closed “for an extended period” before the wider closure was announced.
“Preliminary assessments show that multiple sections of road in the park have been washed away between Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana, and multiple bridges may be affected,” the release said, with visitors in the northern section being evacuated.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the park Monday, advising campers and hikers to avoid streams and creeks.
“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the NWS warned those in vehicles.
Mammoth, Osprey Falls, Indian Creek Campground and Lava Creek Campgrounds, all located in the park, are sites expected to experience flooding, the weather service said.
The Yellowstone River hit an all-time high in the Montana cities of Corwin Springs and Livingston on Monday.
At Corwin Springs, the river rose more than 5 feet Monday morning, according to river meter data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The meter reading was 13.85 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historic 1918 high peak of 11.5 feet.
The river reading at Livingston was a record 10.9 feet.
According to DailyExpertNews meteorologists, more than 400% of the average fell in northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana in June.
Top image: High water levels in the Gardner River along the North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park.
