“All roads in and out of the park are currently closed and will remain closed until park staff can assess the extent of the situation,” the National Park Service said Friday.
Currently, there are approximately 500 visitors and 500 workers at the park, according to the agency, and stranded visitors can leave if they wish. No injuries have been reported.
Abby Wines, public affairs officer for the National Park Service, told CNN on Friday that several visitors to Death Valley National Park have voluntarily left the park.
Despite the road closures, Wines says “no one is stopping” visitors if they find a way out of the park.
At The Inn at Death Valley, approximately 60 cars belonging to visitors and staff are buried under the debris, according to a news release.
“The park received 1.46 inches of rain at Furnace Creek, nearly matching the previous daily record of 1.47 inches,” the release said.
Wines says it’s unclear when the roads will reopen.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Transportation says it will take four to six hours to open a road on Highway 190 east of the park that would allow visitors and staff to exit, the statement said.