Yellowstone flooding – live: Tourists warned National Park closed for months as video shows perilous escape
Flooding caused mudslides and widespread destruction
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from Yellowstone National Park, as dangerous flood waters have knocked out bridges and roads, as well as causing mud slides.
Heavy rains and snow melt caused the Yellowstone River to jump its banks, prompting widespread destruction and toppling riverside properties.
All five entrances to the park, which gets hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, have been closed to visitors for the first time in 34 years. Officials say the landscape has ben changed “literally”.
All visitors aside from a single group of backpackers have left the park, according to officials. Emergency crews are prepared to potentially rescue the group.
The north entrance of the park is expected to be closed all summer as officials seek to repair damaged infrastructure.
Montana National Guard carrying out rescues
The US National Guard has been among the agencies to respond to flooding in the Yellowstone area with helicopters from the Montana National Guard (MTNG) deployed to Roscoe and Cooke City, where 12 people were evacuated on Monday.
On Tuesday, the MTNG said it was also called to an area of Rosebud Lake for another search and rescue effort. More helicopter rescues could be carried out across the state.
Vacation turns nightmare for Omaha couple
A simple vacation for an Omaha couple turned into a nightmare after they got stuck in Montana due to floods in Yellowstone National Park.
Max Ridgway said what he saw was something out of a movie and he never thought that their vacation would take such a turn.
“I never thought this stuff still happened. I never knew that highways got wiped out due to flooding,” Mr Ridgway told KETV7.
“We tried to leave town yesterday morning and we made it halfway out of town and they turned us back around because the bridge way out,” he added.
“The hotels are setting up emergency places for people to sleep at. The boy scouts came out and they’re handing out food. They have a booth out here so the community is really pulling together to accommodate everybody.”
Locals describe harrowing situation
At least 200 homes were flooded in Montana, where residents describe the situation as harrowing with water rising from a trickle to a torrent over just a few hours.
The water toppled telephone poles, knocked over fences and carved deep fissures in the ground through a neighbourhood of hundreds of houses. Power was restored by Tuesday, though there was still no running water in the affected neighbourhood.
Heidi Hoffman left early Monday to buy a sump pump in Billings, but by the time she returned her basement was full of water.
“We lost all our belongings in the basement,” Ms Hoffman said as the pump removed a steady stream of water into her muddy backyard. “Yearbooks, pictures, clothes, furniture. We are going to be cleaning up for a long time,” she told Associated Press.
Water levels receding, says sheriff’s office
Water levels at the Yellowstone park should slowly recede throughout the night, the Yellowstone county sheriff’s office said on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
“The Billings Water gauge appears to be malfunctioning as of 10.30pm statistical reliable data is currently unavailable,” the sheriff’s office said.
“They are currently holding. We have been advised west of Billings river levels on both the Yellowstone and Clark Fork are dropping.”
What caused the massive flooding and mudslides in Yellowstone?
The Yellowstone River in Corwin Springs, Montana surpassed its previous record high water level by at least two feet, according to the US Geological Survey.
The flooding was due to a combination of intense rainfall and heavy snowmelt.
By Tuesday at 9am, some parts of the park had recorded more than 1.6 inches of rain, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Straub told WyoFile, adding that daily rainfall more than one inch is very uncommon.
And Reuters reported that the area also saw warmer temperatures over the past few days, which accelerated snowmelt from the park’s high peaks. Per US government data, the area currently has a lot of water piled up in the snowpack. Images from the park this week showed road and building damage as water poured into valleys and pushed rivers far above normal levels.
The climate crisis is expected to increase the frequency and severity of events like rainstorms in many parts of the country. Over the past few decades, more and more precipitation across the US has come via extreme one-day events, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Ethan Freedman has more.
What caused the massive flooding and mudslides in Yellowstone?
Rain and snow combined to create intense flooding across the beloved park
Yellowstone officials assess damage after historic floods
Some of the worst damage happened in the northern part of the park and Yellowstone’s gateway communities in southern Montana.
National Park Service photos of northern Yellowstone showed a slide, washed-out bridges and roads undercut by churning floodwaters of the Gardner and Lamar rivers.
The flooding cut off road access to Gardiner, Montana, a town of about 900 people near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Gardner rivers, just outside Yellowstone’s busy North Entrance. Cooke City was also isolated by floodwaters and evacuations were also issued for residents in Livingston.
Officials in Park County said on Facebook Monday evening that extensive flooding throughout the county also had made drinking water unsafe in many areas. Evacuations and rescues were ongoing and officials urged people who were in a safe place to stay put overnight.
The Montana National Guard said Monday it sent two helicopters to southern Montana to help with the evacuations.
Cory Mottice, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Billings, Montana, said rain is not in the immediate forecast, and cooler temperatures will lessen the snowmelt in coming days.“This is flooding that we’ve just never seen in our lifetimes before.”
One group of backpackers remain after deluge sparks scramble to evacuate visitors
All visitors except a group of backpackers have now been evacuated after Yellowstone National Park was hit by a record deluge, according to officials.
Around 10,000 tourists to the world-famous park were asked to leave after roads and bridges were washed out as “unprecedented” flooding devastated areas of southern Montana.
Superintendent Cam Sholly told reporters that just one group of campers now remains in the park’s backcountry as officials take stock of the scope of damage that has been done.
There have not been any reports of any deaths caused directly by the flooding. Authorities say it is unclear if a body found in the Yellowstone River near Bozeman, Montana, is connected to the bad weather or not.
Graeme Massie reports.
Only backpackers remain after record deluge sparks scramble to evacuate Yellowstone
Frist time since 1988 that all five gates to 2.2m acre park have been closed
Part of Yellowstone to ‘remain closed for substantial length of time’
Authorities on Monday announced that the northern portion of the Yellowstone National Park will likely remain closed for a “substantial length of time” due to severe damage caused by the deluge.“
Visitors traveling to park soon must stay informed about current situation, roads and weather,” it said on Twitter.
Yellowstone visits hit record high in 2021
A record number of visitors flocked to Yellowstone National Park last year despite fewer hotel rooms and campsites being available due to the Covid-19 pandemic and construction projects.
About 4.86 million visits were tallied in 2021, breaking the prior record set in 2016. It’s a million more people than visited in 2020.
Known for its wolves, bears and other wildlife and thermal features such as the Old Faithful geyser, Yellowstone will mark its 150th anniversary in 2022. It straddles the borders of northwestern Wyoming, southern Montana and eastern Idaho.
‘Adapt or die’: Get ready for floods, droughts and rising sea levels
As the Yellowstone disaster proves, climate change will mean more flooding, and an emphasis on adaptation in addition to cutting emissions.
Last year, we had a look at the importance of readiness and climate adaptation in England, as the UK faces historic flood dangers of its own.
‘Adapt or die’: Get ready for floods and droughts, says Environment Agency
Adapting just as important as action to cut emissions, UK government told
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments