Yellowstone flooding causes 10,000 to leave national park

RED LODGE, Mont. — Yellowstone National Park officials say over 10,000 visitors — all but one group of backpackers — had evacuated the park by Tuesday as it evaluates damage from massive flooding.

Superintendent Cam Sholly said the visitors were asked to leave after roads and bridges washed out and power was knocked out from heavy rains and snow melt.

The flooding hit historic levels in the Yellowstone River, where it washed out several sections of the main highway from the park’s north entrance.

The torrent undercut the river bank and toppled a house where the families of six park employees had lived into the raging waters. The building, which had been evacuated, floated 5 miles downstream before sinking.

Sholly said one group of campers was still in the backcountry. They had been contacted and crews were prepared to evacuate them by helicopter, but that hasn’t been needed yet, he said.

Sholly added he didn’t believe the park had ever shut down from flooding. He said the north entrance is expected to be closed all summer.

The Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs crested at 13.88 feet Monday, higher than the previous record of 11.5 feet set in 1918, according the the National Weather Service.

Yellowstone got 2.5 inches of rain Saturday, Sunday and into Monday. The Beartooth Mountains northeast of Yellowstone got as much as 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service.