Police have evacuated hundreds of stranded people from Death Valley National Park, California, after heavy rains and flooding. “Thanks to the hard work of the road workers, visitors who were previously unable to leave hotels in the area can now carefully leave with police escort,” the national park said.
Helicopters would be used to patrol the remote areas of the park to ensure there were no stranded vehicles. There are currently no reports of injuries.
Extremely unusual amount of rain
Death Valley National Park received unusually large amounts of rain on Friday. The place is considered the driest and hottest in the United States. About 3.7 inches of rain fell in the Furnace Creek area. This made the day the second wettest day since records began in 1911. 0.3 centimeters is the August average, as reported by the Washington Post. The annual average was just under five centimeters in total.
A thousand people in the mud „caught“
Some 500 visitors and 500 park employees were in Death Valley on Friday. About 60 cars belonging to visitors and employees are buried under the rubble near a hotel, according to CNN. The flash flooding and storm pushed dumpsters into parked cars, according to the park. In addition, many hotel rooms and corporate offices were flooded. Roads were blocked by fallen boulders and palm trees.
The national park said the water has receded in most areas, leaving extensive mud and gravel deposits. Roads in the park would remain closed until staff had an overview of the situation.
Source: Krone
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