The damage is considerable and dozens of people had to be evacuated by helicopter this week. Yellowstone National Park in the United States and nearby towns have been hit by flooding.
In total, the national guards airlifted 87 people cut off from the outside world, and sometimes deprived of electricity and drinking water, by the floods which washed away roads and bridges. “At the request of local authorities, the Montana National Guard continues to assist in search and rescue operations caused by the significant flooding” in the area, underlines a press release.
The national park still closed
Some 10,000 visitors were forced to evacuate Yellowstone National Park, one of the most famous in the United States, all access to which remained closed on Thursday. Due to flood damage, the northern part of the park should not be able to reopen until the end of the summer season, officials warned of the 9,000 km2 park, which straddles the states of Wyoming, Montana and New Zealand. ‘Idaho (northwest).
Impressive images of sections of roads undermined by the waves were released by the National Parks Agency to illustrate the extent of the damage. Aerial reconnaissance revealed “major damage to multiple sections of road” linking different sites in the north of the park, some having been completely washed away.
“Recover as soon as possible”
Officials at Yellowstone Park, which welcomed more than 4.8 million visitors last year, will study the conditions for the partial reopening of the park on the south side.
Several communities on the edge of the park’s north side in Montana also suffered major flooding, with bridges and roads washed out in Park County. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has declared a state of natural disaster throughout his territory in order “to help affected communities recover as quickly as possible”.
