All five entrances to the park, which stretches to parts of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, will be closed to visitors, including those with hotel and camping reservations, until June 15, at the very least. Authorities will take the time to assess the damage to roads, bridges, and other facilities.

This is the first time since the 1988 wildfires that the park’s entrances have been closed to contain the traffic. Officials said that the National Park Service immediately tried to reach guests and personnel in various areas of the park, particularly those on the northern side.

In a statement, Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said:

According to the National Park Service, the “gateway” settlement in Gardiner, Montana, just north of the park’s northern boundary and home to many Yellowstone service personnel, has been shut off owing to a mudslide in the area.

It is unknown how many guests are stuck sinside Yellowstone or have been forced to leave the area. We also do not have a count of the residents around the park who have been rescued and evacuated.

Yellowstone National Park authorities need time to assess the damage

According to the park service, the park’s electric power was knocked out in several areas. Preliminary assessments suggested that extensive segments of roads surrounding Yellowstone were swept away or covered in debris and mud, with a number of bridges also being wrecked.

In a statement, Sholly said:

According to the organization, roads in the park’s southern tier were on the edge of flooding.

The flooding and slides were caused by days of heavy rainfall. The park and the entire surrounding region were plagued by continuous rain due to one of the wettest springs in recent years.

A rapid increase in temperatures over the last three days also accelerated the melting of the snow collected in the park’s upper altitudes from late-winter storms, causing runoff.

Heavy rains and melting snow created a dangerous combination in the park barely two weeks after the annual Memorial Day vacation weekend opening of the US summer tourist season, which accounts for the majority of Yellowstone’s yearly 4 million tourists.

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