About 500 employees and 500 visitors were unable to leave the place, due to unprecedented rains that caused a large flood, and led to the closure of all roads leading to the park, according to Agence France-Presse.
And the site’s administration explained in a statement, “All roads in the reserve are closed for the time being, and will remain so until the supervisors determine the extent of the damage.”
The flood waters uprooted parts of the road, swept waste containers towards cars that were no longer usable, and flooded offices and hotels, according to the site’s administration.
37 millimeters of rain fell in one go, while the average annual total precipitation is usually “less than 50 millimeters”.
The daily precipitation on Friday is almost equal to the record set by the national park.
The “Death Valley” reserve is known on its website as the hottest site in the world and the driest in North America.” More than 1.5 million tourists visit the site annually.
International climate experts estimate that climate warming is affecting the rainfall regime. The risk of heavy precipitation increases with rising temperatures.
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