Dollywood amusement park experiences flash flooding

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) — Robust thunderstorms introduced flash flooding to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood in east Tennessee.

Park staff and the Pigeon Forge police and fireplace departments directed friends to security on Sunday afternoon, and one minor damage was reported, park officers stated in a press release. The amusement park stated it was supporting friends whose automobiles had been affected and cleanup crews had been deployed. The park was opening at midday Monday and the park’s Splash Nation, which wasn’t affected, opened at its common time.

A street collapse closed McCarter Hole Street on the entrance to Dollywood on Sunday evening, in accordance with the Pigeon Forge Police Division.

JeMiale McKinney of Knoxville and his spouse and two daughters are season go holders and headed to the park Sunday. Typically, when there’s a risk of unhealthy climate, that’s the greatest time to go as a result of many individuals will depart and as soon as the climate clears, you get shorter experience occasions, McKinney stated.

Nonetheless, it was pouring buckets and inside 10 minutes the doorway was blocked. Folks might see that it wouldn’t be price it to drive by way of the water that was thigh-deep in some locations, McKinney stated.

“We acquired trapped within the parking zone sooner than we thought,” he stated. They had been caught there for 2 hours till a crew broke down a fence so individuals might get out.

“I used to be stunned about how calm individuals had been,” he stated.

Practically 5 inches of rain fell within the space in about an hour, Dollywood spokesperson Wes Ramey stated in an electronic mail.

“Whereas the quantity of rain was troublesome for each the park’s and town’s infrastructure to handle, the actual fact we have now just one minor damage illustrates how nicely our hosts dealt with the scenario and the way nicely our friends adopted their instructions,” Ramey stated.

The park will consider the response to find out whether or not any adjustments are wanted, he stated.