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MagicMtnDan
08-20-2004, 10:35 PM
Death Valley Under Water - August 18, 2004
On Sunday a violent storm dropped .33 inches of rain, about a quarter of the park's annual precipitation, in less than 20 minutes, leaving at least two people dead, parts of the roads in ruin, and the park without water, electricity or phone lines. Visitors were evacuated Monday morning by the California Highway Patrol and the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. The park remains closed until further notice.
"I've never seen nature so furious as what it was out there," Frank said of the devastation left by a raging torrent of water that he estimated might have been as wide as the Colorado River. The two known fatalities from Sunday's deluge were trapped in a small pick up truck traveling on Highway 190, Frank said, though he could not estimate what direction they might have been traveling. The vehicle was swept off the road, tumbled in the waters, and was nearly buried in mud near Zabriskie Point. It was so impacted with mud and debris, Frank said, that the two passengers, a mother and son from Southern California, could not be extracted at the scene.
Frank said he was astounded by the devastation. "I just couldn't believe it," he said. "It doesn't even look like the same place."
Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Office for the National Park Service, said the deluge knocked down power lines and broke open water pipes, leaving the valley without water, power, or telephones until late Monday. Major sections of park roadways were washed away and some areas were still collapsing hours after the waters receded, Frank said.
Dey reported that there were no other fatalities and no injuries from the flood, and that all visitors checked in to the Furnace Creek facilities had been accounted for. She said the park service had not received any reports of visitors missing, but that she did worry about people in the back country or who might have just been driving through.
"That mud out there is really deep in places," Dey said, "and we just don't know what's underneath it."
Dey said there was no structural damage to major park facilities but that the roads were devastated in some areas. "I flew over the park in a plane and could see big chunks of asphalt sticking out of the mud that looked big even from that distance. I could see little bits of color from cars buried in the mud."
Several cars were washed away from the parking lot at the Furnace Creek Inn and the parking lot near the Zabriskie Point overlook was reportedly also swept away. The worst road damage was reported to be at the juncture of Highway 190 and the Badwater Road, where major repair efforts are now underway.
Although flooding is uncommon in Death Valley, it is not unheard of. Long time residents of the area remember a similar disaster in 1984. "A huge wall of water took out every thing along Highway 190," remembers Kari Coughlin, director of the Death Valley Chamber of Commerce. That flood was also in August, one of the hottest times of the year in Death Valley, and traveled a similar path.
Larry Banks, area supervisor for the Cal Trans station in Shoshone said he was expecting reinforcements from Bishop, Independence, Inyo, Kern, Mojave and Tehachapi to help his four-person crew get the park back in shape.
Visitors attempting to get into the park were being turned away in droves at the Beatty, Nevada, entrance to the park, and one ranger estimated that she had spoken with some 400 car loads of people during that past two days. Park Superintendent J.T. Reynolds is citing safety as his number one concern and says absolutely no non-essential personnel will be allowed into the park until further notice.
source: http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2004/08/18/news/flood.html
http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2004/08/18/photos/flood.jpg
Passengers abandon their van after being stuck in a flood on Highway 190. It took Inyo County Coroner Bob Frank an hour and a half in a four-wheel drive vehicle to crawl over a few miles of flood-ravaged country in Death Valley National Park on Monday.

MagicMtnDan
08-20-2004, 10:37 PM
Picture of Furnace Creek Wash...
http://www.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5160

MagicMtnDan
08-20-2004, 10:42 PM
Posted by C.O.Jones on August 19, 2004 at 13:13:40:
Death Valley National Park (CA)
Cleanup Efforts Continue Following Flash Floods
The park, which was closed on Monday following major flooding from all-night rains, remains closed. Yesterday’s developments:
· The two people killed in the flood have been identified as Bernherd Reith, 48, and his mother, Tabea Reith, 71, both of Downey, California. They died when water, mud and debris struck their vehicle as they were traveling on Highway 190. The Inyo County coroner is asking the public for assistance in locating next of kin. Any reader who can help should call deputy coroner Robert Franke at 760-876-4665.
· Park staff are continuing work on repairs to critical infrastructure in the Furnace Creek area. Crews are repairing the main water line, which suffered at least two breaks. The National Park Service and Caltrans are working to repair sections of Highway 190. Work is currently underway on the section of the road that links Furnace Creek with Highway 127.
· Superintendent J.T. Reynolds and the superintendent of the local school district have agreed to postpone the start of the school year from Monday, August 23rd, to Monday, August 30th.
NPS crews are continuing to assess damage in other areas of the park. Yesterday’s efforts focused on roads in three areas – the Emigrant to Wildrose section of Emigrant Canyon Road, the Grapevine to Scotty’s Castle, and Scotty’s Castle to Scotty’s Junction.
[Submitted by Holly Bundock, Public Affairs, Pacific West Regional Office; Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs, Lake Mead NRA]

Debbolas
08-21-2004, 08:47 AM
Wow, what a storm/flood!! :jawdrop: