Yellowstone National Park Closed Due to Flooding Which Caused Damage to Roads, Bridges

Yellowstone National Park has been forced to close after floodwaters caused dangerous conditions. The park will remain closed through at least today, allowing park officials and southern Montana communities to assess the damage and brace for more flooding in the upcoming days. Cooler temperatures and drier weather allowed rivers to start falling to normal levels but hotter temperatures are expected later this week and into the weekend which may cause additional flooding in the area due to snow-melt runoff. Flooding began to overrun the area on Monday and into yesterday washing out roads and bridges and inflicting damage to homes and businesses. Over 10,000 people have left the park since officials announced the closure of all entrances to visitors on Monday citing ‘multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues’. Multiple surrounding locations were left without power or safe drinking water. Governor Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster yesterday and announced he was seeking an expedited presidential disaster declaration to help cover the costs of recovery.