(NewsNation) — More than 10,000 visitors have been evacuated from Yellowstone National Park in Southern Montana due to extreme flooding.
The flooding could constitute a “thousand-year event,” National Park Service officials said on a press call Tuesday evening.
“These aren’t my words, but I’ve heard this is a thousand-year event,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said. “From what I understand, one of the highest cubic feet per second ratings for the Yellowstone River recorded in the ‘90s was at 31,000 CFS, and Sunday night we were at 51,000 CFS.”
Sholly noted that despite the historic nature of the flooding, such events “seem to be happening more and more frequently.”
A combination of heavy rain and mountain snowpack led to extreme flooding Monday that forced the park to close first its northern entrances, then all of the remaining entrances hours later. In just days, the flood may have forever altered the human footprint on the park’s terrain and the communities that have grown around it.
“The landscape literally and figuratively has changed dramatically in the last 36 hours,” said Bill Berg, a commissioner in nearby Park County. “A little bit ironic that this spectacular landscape was create by violent geologic and hydrologic events, and it’s just not very handy when it happens while we’re all here settled on it.”
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster as record floodwaters knocked out roads and bridges in Wyoming and Montana.
Road conditions are particularly dangerous, Sholly said, as the park approaches its peak tourism season. Flooding on Highway 89 across the Montana border cut off access to the town of Gardner, he said, and while access has since been restored, several thousand park visitors were stranded in Gardner along with residents at one point.
Tuesday night, emergency crews were finally able to make at least one road passable for a strain of tourists to leave, but not all of them were able to evacuate. Mudslides and rocks falling are making all five entrances impassable near the national park.
“Nobody’s seen anything like this. Not since 1918. And even then, the CFS levels of the river have never been higher. They’re even double, or even three times, as much as what they’ve been,” said Nolan Darr, a guide at Yellowstone Journeys.
The National Park Service released aerial footage showing the damage from the flood. On Monday, a home near the park was spotted being swept away by the rushing waters. The house floated for seven miles before hitting a bridge in Corwin Falls.
Some of the worst damage happened in the northern part of the park and Yellowstone’s gateway communities in southern Montana. National Park Service photos of northern Yellowstone showed a mudslide, washed-out bridges and roads undercut by churning floodwaters of the Gardner and Lamar rivers.
Yellowstone Teton Tours owner Darcy Lagana said, “It’s really intense in there. And our first focus as a community needs to be on how to make sure that everyone has what they need.”
The water toppled telephone poles, knocked over fences and carved deep fissures in the ground through a neighborhood of hundreds of houses. Electricity was restored by Tuesday, but there was still no running water in the affected neighborhood.
As of Tuesday, park officials said the entrances would not reopen until Wednesday at the earliest. Much of the road leading to the northern entry appeared to have been washed away in video taken by NPS helicopters.
Officials aren’t sure if the worst is over yet, but they do say that they’re in contact with tourists and campers who are still in the park. They’re prepared to do more helicopter rescues, if necessary. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
The park could remain closed as long as a week, and northern entrances may not reopen this summer, Sholly said.
Yellowstone tour guide Sean Jansen told NewsNation, “The northern two entrances will be closed undoubtedly for the rest of the season. If I had to bet my money on it, based on road conditions, — that’s going to take years if not longer to repair.”
In this photo provided by the National Park Service, is high water in the Gardiner River along the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Montana, that washed out part of a road on Monday, June 13, 2022. (National Park Service via AP) 
In this photo provided by the National Park Service, is a washed out bridge from flooding at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (National Park Service via AP) 
In this image from a National Park Service webcam, is the empty west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, in Montana on Monday, June 13, 2022. (National Park Service via AP) 
In this image provided by Sam Glotzbach, the flooding Yellowstone River undercuts the river bank, threatening a house and a garage in Gardiner, Mont., on June 13, 2022. (Sam Glotzbach via AP) 
In this photo provided by Sam Glotzbach, the fast-rushing Yellowstone River flooded what appeared to be a small boathouse in Gardiner, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022, just north of Yellowstone National Park. (Sam Glotzbach via AP) 
The highway between Gardiner and Mammoth in Montana is washed out trapping tourists in Gardiner, as historic flooding damages roads and bridges and floods homes along area rivers on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP) 
The Boulder River south of Big Timber floods roads and homes on Monday, June 13, 2022, as major flooding swept away at least one bridge, washed away roads and set off mudslides in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP) 
Flooding from the Yellowstone River is seen in front of Livingston HealthCare’s hospital in Livingston, Montana, on Monday evening, June 13, 2022. Livingston HealthCare evacuated its patients and staff on Monday because water over the driveway made access to the building unsafe. While an urgent care clinic remained open, emergency patients were being diverted to other facilities. (Dwight Harriman/Livingston Enterprise via AP) 
This photo provided by Katherine Schoolitz shows flooding in Red Lodge, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. Raging floodwaters that pulled houses into rivers and forced rescues by air and boat began to slowly recede Tuesday across the Yellowstone region, leaving tourists and others stranded after roads and bridges were knocked out by torrential rains that swelled waterways to record levels. (Katherine Schoolitz via AP) 
This photo provided by Katherine Schoolitz shows flood waters in Red Lodge, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. Raging floodwaters that pulled houses into rivers and forced rescues by air and boat began to slowly recede Tuesday across the Yellowstone region, leaving tourists and others stranded after roads and bridges were knocked out by torrential rains that swelled waterways to record levels. (Katherine Schoolitz via AP) 
This photo provided by Katherine Schoolitz shows flood waters rise around a house in Red Lodge, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. Raging floodwaters that pulled houses into rivers and forced rescues by air and boat began to slowly recede Tuesday across the Yellowstone region, leaving tourists and others stranded after roads and bridges were knocked out by torrential rains that swelled waterways to record levels. (Katherine Schoolitz via AP) 
This photo provided by Katherine Schoolitz shows flooding in Red Lodge, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. Raging floodwaters that pulled houses into rivers and forced rescues by air and boat began to slowly recede Tuesday across the Yellowstone region, leaving tourists and others stranded after roads and bridges were knocked out by torrential rains that swelled waterways to record levels. (Katherine Schoolitz via AP) 
Floodwaters inundate property near the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River in between Edgar and Fromberg, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
Floodwaters inundate property along the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River in between Edgar and Fromberg, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
Floodwaters inundate property near the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River in between Edgar and Fromberg, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
A road is closed from floodwaters along the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River near Bridger, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
Floodwaters are seen along the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River near Bridger, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
Floodwaters inundated property along the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River near Bridger, Mont, on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
Floodwaters from the the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River surround a home near Bridger, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The flooding across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming forced the indefinite closure of Yellowstone National Park just as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors annually was ramping up. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin) 
This aerial photo provided by the National Park Service shows a flooded out North Entrance Road, of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont., on June 13, 2022. Flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend caused road and bridge damage in Yellowstone National Park, leading park officials to close all the entrances through at least Wednesday. Gardiner, a town just north of the park, was isolated, with water covering the road north of the town and a mudslide blocking the road to the south. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP) 
This aerial photo provided by the National Park Service shows a flooded out North Entrance Road, of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont., on June 13, 2022. Flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend caused road and bridge damage in Yellowstone National Park, leading park officials to close all the entrances through at least Wednesday. Gardiner, a town just north of the park, was isolated, with water covering the road north of the town and a mudslide blocking the road to the south. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP) 
This aerial photo provided by the National Park Service shows a flooded out North Entrance Road, of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont., on June 13, 2022. Flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend caused road and bridge damage in Yellowstone National Park, leading park officials to close all the entrances through at least Wednesday. Gardiner, a town just north of the park, was isolated, with water covering the road north of the town and a mudslide blocking the road to the south. (Doug Kraus/National Park Service via AP) 
This aerial photo provided by the National Park Service shows a washed out road at North Entrance Road, of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Mont., on June 13, 2022. Flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend caused road and bridge damage in Yellowstone National Park, leading park officials to close all the entrances through at least Wednesday. Gardiner, a town just north of the park, was isolated, with water covering the road north of the town and a mudslide blocking the road to the south. (Doug Kraus/National Park Service via AP) 
This aerial photo provided by the National Park Service shows the Lower Blacktail Patrol Cabin washed away in Yellowstone National Park on Monday, June 13, 2022. Flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend caused road and bridge damage in Yellowstone National Park, leading park officials to close all the entrances through at least Wednesday. Gardiner, a town just north of the park, was isolated, with water covering the road north of the town and a mudslide blocking the road to the south. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP) 
Micah Hoffman is seen in his mud-covered yard as a pump removes water from his basement, Tuesday June 14, 2022, in Red Lodge, Mont. Residents were cleaning up after record floods in southern Montana this week. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) 
Flood damage is seen along a street Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Red Lodge, Mont. Residents were cleaning up after record floods in southern Montana this week. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) 
Debris is seen blocking a street in Red Lodge, Montana, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, after floodwaters coursed through a neighborhood with hundreds of houses the day before. Residents were cleaning up after record floods in southern Montana this week. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) 
Residents of Red Lodge, Montana, are seen clearing mud, water and debris from the small city’s main street on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, after flood waters courses through a residential area with hundreds of homes. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
The Associated Press and The Hill contributed to this story.
