Death Valley Could Take Months to Reopen After Hurricane

Death Valley National Park remains closed and parts of it might take months to reopen in the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary, the remnants of which dumped torrential rains on the desert destination, damaging every road in the massive park.

The storm dumped 2.2 inches of rain on Aug. 20, the wettest day in the park's history; the pounding marked more water than it gets in a year. The park's annual average rainfall is a mere 2.15 inches. The water caused "extensive damage including undercutting and pavement loss" to many of the major roads in the park.

"Two inches of rain does not sound like a lot, but here, it really does stay on the surface," park ranger Matthew Lamar told the Los Angeles Times. "We have these hard, rocky areas — there's nothing to absorb that water, and so it comes off the mountains, into the canyons and through the washes and drainages and up into the infrastructure. Two inches of rain here can have a dramatic impact."

Every road in the park, including State Route 190, a main corridor in Death Valley, sustained damage and remains closed until further notice.

Park officials say Death Valley will likely open in stages, with weeks expected for some areas and months for secondary roads to reopen. It could be December before full repairs are made, with one park official calling it "a moving target."

"Multiple national parks across the country have sent staff to assist Death Valley in this enormous undertaking. Each day brings more progress in our efforts to open and repair roads and facilities, but this is going to take time," Death Valley acting superintendent Ben Roberts said on the NPS website. "Death Valley National Park is larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware, with over 1,400 miles of roads.

"There is a lot of work to do."

Cleanup and damage assessment began Aug. 21, the day after the worst of the storm hit. Hilary was the first tropical storm to impact California in 84 years.

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