Yellowstone Stone National Park is currently trending in the news. Why has it been closed down to visitors? What happened and what is the current situation? What can we expect from the future? Know The Fact brings you the whole picture of the situation in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872, is the world’s first national park. Apart from wildlife conservation, it is also one of the most popular outdoor travel destinations in the United States. Yellowstone is famous for its hot springs as well as exotic wildlife and scenic beauty.
Flooding in Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of the western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, has closed all of its five entrances to visitors for the first time since 1988. All five entrances to Yellowstone National Park have been closed due to dangerous flooding conditions and unprecedented amounts of rainfall. According to the forecast, more rain is expected to come. According to Yellowstone National Park officials, the flood has inflicted heavy damage on Yellowstone’s infrastructure.
The extent of the damage
The roads and bridges of Yellowstone bore the brunt of the destruction. Roads have been damaged and multiple bridges have been affected, making travel and evacuation unsafe. Homes have also been affected, with some collapsing partially or totally. Yellowstone National Park officials have reported that apart from damaging roads, homes, and bridges, the flood has also caused rockslides and mudslides.
Isolation of communities
Several communities have been cut off or are isolated due to flood water. The isolated communities include Gardiner, Cooke City, and Silver Gate. Power outages have also been caused by the deluge. Rescue and evacuation operations are being carried out throughout the county with the help of the National Guard and local search and rescue teams. Superintendent Cam Sholly, speaking about the rescue plan in Yellowstone National Park, said that “Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides, and other issues.” He also added that “we will begin to move visitors in the southern loop out of the park later today in coordination with our in-park business partners.” There haven’t been any immediate reports of injuries.
Sources have reported that about two airlifts and a swift water rescue have been carried out by now. Warnings have been issued by officials in many areas, cautioning residents to avoid drinking local water. The risk of drinking water contamination is due to broken water supplies and submerged wells.
Plans for the near future:
Yellowstone National Park will be off-limits to visitors at least till Wednesday, as the extent of the damage is still being assessed. Visitors planning to visit the iconic Yellowstone National Park in the upcoming weeks are being advised to pay close attention to the status of road conditions. There is a strong possibility that many Yellowstone National Park roads might remain closed for
an extended period of time.
The reasons
for the Yellowstone National Park floods It is believed that a dramatic increase in rain along with record high temperatures are to blame. According to the NWS, these situations have caused snowmelt in high elevation areas. A sudden increase in summer emperatures over the past three days is believed to have accelerated the melting of snow. The snow had accumulated on the mountains during late winter storms. The NWS further says that on Sunday night, the snowmelt found its way into streams and rivers, thus further adding to the floodwaters. Residents claim that they have rarely or never experienced such a dangerous amount of flooding, which is a cause of great concern.
