Thunderstorms hit parts of eastern Tennessee on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and flash flooding to Dolly Parton's Dollywood amusement park. At least one person was injured, officials said.
It was unclear Monday morning exactly how much water flooded the park or the extent of the damage, but park public relations director Wes Ramey told CBS News the storm brought a toll on Dollywood Nearly five inches of rain. Lamy described the situation as an “unprecedented flooding event”.
Footage recorded within Dollywood and submitted to CBS News affiliate WVLT during Sunday's flooding appeared to show groups of people wading in knee-deep water in some places. The Pigeon Forge Police Department, where Dollywood is located, said in a statement on social media Sunday night that McCarter Hollow Road at the entrance to the park had collapsed and was closed to traffic. People in the area can use an alternative route, according to police.
Remy confirmed that Dollywood is scheduled to reopen at 12 noon local time on Monday, as park officials said in their initial statement in response to flooding on Sunday night.
“A severe thunderstorm caused flash flooding in Dollywood this afternoon, Sunday, July 28,” Dollywood Parks and Resorts
said in a previous statement. “Park staff, with assistance from the Pigeon Forge Police and Fire Departments, guided guests to safety during the storm. At this time, one guest was reported to have suffered a minor injury.”
Officials did not elaborate on the nature of the injuries. They said Dollywood is “providing support to guests whose vehicles have been affected by the weather” and has deployed crews to clear the area.
“While both the park and the city's infrastructure struggled to handle the amount of rainfall, we only had one minor injury, which speaks to how well our owners handled the situation and how well we “We will evaluate the response to determine if any changes need to be made, but we are proud of our maintenance and operations teams whose hard work allows us to operate in situations like this. The reopening came less than 24 hours after the unprecedented flooding event.
Lamy said the park will honor Sunday admission for visitors on Monday or provide rain tickets for future visits.
The National Weather Service in Morristown issued a flash flood warning for Pigeon Forge until about 11 p.m. Sunday. Many roads around Dole Mountain that were closed due to the storm, including in nearby Sevier County, reopened around the same time the weather service lifted the warning.
The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said Monday that water receded from most roads in the area overnight, but encouraged residents to be aware of potential debris while driving. The agency had previously reported “severe flooding” in parts of the county that was still occurring as of 8:30 p.m. Sunday. At the time, the agency also said there were mudslides, sinkholes and multiple downed trees due to the weather.
