PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are bringing flash flooding to Dolly Parton's Dollywood in eastern Tennessee.
Park staff and the Pigeon Forge police and fire departments guided visitors to safety Sunday afternoon, where one minor injury was reported, park officials said in a statement. The amusement park said it was providing support to guests whose vehicles were affected and deployed cleanup crews. The park opened at noon on Monday, and the park's Splash Country was unaffected and open at regular hours.
According to the Pigeon Forge Police Department, McCarter Hollow Road at the entrance to Dole Mountain was closed Sunday night due to a road collapse.
JeMiale McKinney of Knoxville, his wife and two daughters are season pass holders who went to the park Sunday. McKinney said sometimes, when there's a threat of severe weather, that's the best time to travel because so many people will be leaving and your ride time will be shorter once the weather clears.
However, the bucket tipped over and within 10 minutes, the entrance was blocked. McKinney said people could see that driving through knee-deep water wasn't worth it in some places.
“We're stuck in the parking lot faster than we thought,” he said. They were stuck there for two hours until crews broke down the fence and people could get out.
“I was surprised at how calm people were,” he said.
Dollywood spokesman Wes Ramey said in an email that nearly 5 inches of rain fell in the area in about an hour.
Remy said: “While both the park and the city's infrastructure struggled to cope with such heavy rainfall, the fact that we only had one minor injury speaks to the ability of our hosts to handle the situation and how well our guests followed their instructions. ability.
He said the park will evaluate the response to determine if any changes need to be made.
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