- Police evacuated hundreds of people after flooding in California’s Death Valley National Park.
- Remote areas of the park are searched for other stranded people with helicopters, according to the national park administration.
- Death Valley is considered the driest and hottest place in the United States. On Friday, however, a storm brought unusually large amounts of rain.
“Thanks to the hard work of the road workers, visitors who were previously unable to leave the hotels in the area were now able to drive out with a police escort,” the national park said. Helicopters would be used to patrol the park’s remote areas to ensure there were no stranded vehicles.
Unusually large amounts of rain fell on Death Valley National Park on Friday. Around 37 millimeters of rain fell in the Furnace Creek area. According to media reports, this made the day the second wettest since records began in 1911. 3 millimeters is the average in August, as reported by the Washington Post. The annual average registered a total of almost fifty millimeters.
No injuries reported so far
About 500 visitors and 500 park employees were in Death Valley on Friday. Around 60 cars were buried under 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 business offices were flooded. Roads were blocked by fallen boulders and palm trees. There are currently no reports of injuries.
According to the national park administration, the water has now receded in most areas. Extensive mud and gravel deposits remain. The roads in the park would remain closed until staff had an overview of the situation.