In Death Valley National Park, California, hundreds of tourists were locked up due to sudden rains that caused mudslides that blocked the road, reports the Associated Press, citing local hotel management.
On Friday, August 6, 371 mm of rain fell in the region – this is 75% of the annual rainfall in Death Valley, where the national park of the same name is located. There were no casualties as a result of rains and subsequent mudflows.
However, on an area of 1.3 million hectares, the roadbed was blocked in many places. The helicopters of the US Navy and the California Highway Patrol were involved in the evacuation of tourists. They also examine remote sections of the routes passing through the national park.
Local hotel workers said that for the first time they see such a sharp rise in water levels. The first floors of many hotels were flooded along with the property of tourists.
Death Valley is one of the hottest and driest places in the Western Hemisphere.