DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (KTNV) — Death Valley National Park National Park remains closed after being hit by the remnants ofTropical Storm Hilary.
Wednesday, I traveled to Death Valley for a first-hand look at the destruction and how this storm has reshaped this popular spot for visitors.
"[The storm] was historic," said National Park Service Ranger Matthew Lamar. "We had 2.2 inches of rain in 24 hours."
Lamar took me on a tour of Death Valley, showing the destruction up close.
"That is a year's worth of rain in one day," he said.
From erosion to damaged roads to debris still being removed, the park, which gets around 1 million visitors yearly, had its rainiest day ever on Sunday, Aug. 20.
Lamar says the historic flooding led to severe damage.
"How significant is that for you to see?" I asked.
"It really shows you the power of water. It comes down, it cuts along the bank, cuts away that shoulder and eventually, it cuts into the pavement," he said.
Significant damage can be seen on State Route 190, one of the main roads through the national park. Christopher Andriessen with Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, says repairing it will take three months.
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"Right now, your priority is to open these roads as soon as possible?" I asked.
"Absolutely," said spokesperson Andriessen. "Caltran's goal is to restore working order to SR 190 as quickly as we can."
Andriessen said two emergency contracts have been approved to repair the roads. He says the cost will be more than $6 million from California.
At one point during the storm, Andriessen said around 400 people, including visitors and park employees, were trapped and had to shelter in place.
He says Caltrans helped make a temporary road to get them out.
"It's fairly significant damage compared to recent storms," he said.
Lamar says two inches of rain in a place like Florida is a lot different than this much rain in the driest place in North America.
"We don't have the soils," Lamar said. "We don't have vegetation to absorb all that moisture."
