Thousand-year rain event in Death Valley National Park: Road closures extended
Flooding in Death Valley damaged the park, left hundreds stranded
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Park Service said that a California highway and park roads would remain closed after a rare 1,000-year rain event that caused devastating flooding.
State Route 190 will remain closed through next week as Caltrans crews continue to clean up after the flash floods.
The agency said that around 30 miles of the highway were partially or fully buried under flood debris within Death Valley National Park after Friday's storms.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thus far, workers have managed to clear debris from approximately 20 miles of the road and about 60% of the debris has been removed from the highway.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK SUBSTANTIAL FLOODS LEAVE 1,000 STAFF, GUESTS STRANDED
Remnants of the Beatty Cutoff road, one of countless areas of severe road damage. (NPS/M.Clark)
State Route 178 E from Shoshone to the Lower Badwater Gate in will also remain closed, as well as all park roads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, conditions are subject to change as the area is expecting a chance of additional thunderstorms.
A year's worth of rain fell in the course of three hours last weekend, causing widespread damage.
One of several 30 foot sections of water main that were washed away. (NPS/R. Wissinger)
DENVER FIREFIGHTERS SEEN ON VIDEO RESCUING CHILDREN FROM FLOODWATERS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Major impacts include the loss of a critical portion of the Cow Creek water system and asphalt damage on roadways.
Conditions are still being assessed, with some damage making vehicle access impossible.
Highway 190 is missing shoulders and undercut in several areas (NPS/N. Ramirez)
To date, there are no reported injuries from the historic flood event.
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Hundreds of staff members and hundreds more guests were stuck there following the monsoonal weather.
"Death Valley is an incredible place of extremes," park superintendent Mike Reynolds said in a statement. "It is the hottest place in the world and the driest place in North America. This week’s 1,000-year flood is another example of this extreme environment."