More than 1,000 people are stranded in Death Valley National Park after flash flooding washed out roads and trails, leaving 500 visitors and 500 staff without the ability to get in or out of certain areas, CNN reports.
“All roads into and out of the park are currently closed and will remain closed until park staff can assess the extensiveness of the situation,” the National Park Service said Friday evening. Debris covered cars at the Inn at Death Valley, and in other areas, vehicles were stuck in at least a foot of mud that was swept into the area by near-record rainfall.
A meteorological station at Furnace Creek measured 1.46 inches of rainfall in the previous 24 hours, nearly topping the record of 1.47 inches recorded.