WIPED OUT
Yellowstone flooding – Moment home swept away in raging waters as stranded campers rescued from ‘unprecedented’ floods
A HOME has been swept away in raging waters while stranded campers were rescued via raft as unprecedented floods hit Yellowstone National Park.
Officials were forced to shut all five entrances to the park for the first time since 1988 as heavy rains wreaked havoc.
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Employees were inside the property when it was swept away.
On Monday, 56 employees were unable to leave before flood waters eroded the road, reported.
And, flooding on the Stillwater River saw 68 people stranded at a campground.
A sinkhole opened up during the flooding and dozens of campers were rescued by raft amid the blocked roads.
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The National Park Service revealed that the flooding is “beyond recent levels”.
Parker Manning, who was visiting the park from Indiana, told the Associated Press: “We started seeing entire trees floating down the river, debris.
“Saw one crazy single kayaker coming down through, which was kind of insane.”
Homes were flooded, including a log cabin that belonged to Kristan Apodaca’s grandmother.
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It was also where Apodoca’s husband proposed.
She told the Billings Gazette: “I am sixth-generation. That bridge I literally drove yesterday.
"My mom drove it at 3 a.m. before it was washed out.”
In some places, the water had reached three feet and parts of the road were covered in rocks and mud.
A water gauge in the Lamar River – which is located in the northern area of the park – reported a level of 16.7 feet – more than 4.5 feet above the previous record, according to the
And, there are power outages in several parts of the national park.
Officials warn that roads could be closed for an “extended period of time”.
Superintendent Cam Sholly said: “We will not know [the] timing of the park’s reopening until flood waters subside and we're able to assess the damage throughout the park.
“It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time."
Sholly said officials have prioritized evacuating the northern section of the park where mudslides have been reported.
'UNPRECEDENTED' FLOODS
Officials said those who were stranded were safe and had access to shelter.
Sholly said: "We are working with the county and State of Montana to provide the necessary support to residents who are currently without water and power in some areas."
Officials said they will monitor the situation to determine when the park is safe to enter.
The floods have also sparked concern among residents living in Laurel and Billings, Montana.
Kurt Markegard, the public works director for Laurel, told : "I have been out and around, and the soils are saturated.
"So if we get any more precipitation, we could have some problems with flash flooding and runoff."
'MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH'
Markegard added: "The best thing that I can say is property is not worth losing your life over."
And, Park County resident Christine Jupe told : "It’s a matter of life or death.";
Yellowstone has been battered by heavy rain in recent days.
Around two-and-a-half inches of rain were reported on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service revealed that the Beartooth Mountains saw as much as ten inches of rain.
But, weather experts said that snowmelt has also contributed to the flooding.
NWS meteorologist Cory Mottice said: "It’s a lot of rain, but the flooding wouldn’t have been anything like this if we didn’t have so much snow.
"This is flooding that we’ve just never seen in our lifetimes before.”
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Those who are planning to visit Yellowstone in the coming weeks are being urged to check road conditions.
The Sun has reached out to Yellowstone National Park officials regarding this incident.
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