Yellowstone officials, state leaders unsure on the amount of flood damage
Jun 14, 2022, 7:00 PM | Updated: Jun 21, 2022, 9:22 am
On Tuesday, Yellowstone National Park officials and state leaders, in a press conference, said they couldn't take a guess at the amount of damage done by recent unprecedented flooding until the water begins to recede. Photo credit: Yellowstone National Park
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Mont. — In an update of the situation, park officials and state leaders told media members Tuesday that they couldn’t take a guess on the amount of damage caused in Yellowstone National Park by the recent unprecedented flooding until water begins to recede.
“We’d like to think the highest of the water is already behind us, but we can’t say that for sure just yet,” said Bill Berg, commissioner for Park County, Mont.
Photo credit: Yellowstone National Park
Leaders said it could be up to a year before one of the hardest-hit roads in Yellowstone is reopened to the public due to the flood damage.
The park headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs remains without power, more than a day later. For Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly, however, that is the least of his concerns.
His main priority has been the safety of the visitors in the backcountry of the park.
Yellowstone damage
In a Facebook posting Tuesday, park officials say the northern portion of the park will remain closed for a significant amount of time. It will remain closed due to the infrastructure that was damaged. Park officials also say visitors coming to the park in the near future must stay up to date on the current situation, as well as road and weather conditions.
“We have contacted or know the whereabouts of every backcountry user currently in Yellowstone,” he said.
Yellowstone draws in as many as a million visitors each summer or 10,000 people on any given day.
Current conditions of Yellowstone’s North Entrance Road through the Gardner Canyon between Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth Hot Springs.
We will continue to communicate about this hazardous situation as more information is available. More info: https://t.co/mymnqGvcVB pic.twitter.com/S5ysi4wf8a
— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) June 13, 2022
Read more:
- All entrances to Yellowstone National Park are temporarily closed due to ‘extremely hazardous conditions’
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