Thu. Nov 21st, 2024
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July 29 (UPI) — Dollywood, the theme park partly owned by and named after famed country singer Dolly Parton, was hit with heavy rains and flooding on Sunday, which trapped visitors at the amusement park and resort in eastern Tennessee.

Pigeon Forge, Tenn., was slammed in torrential rain, forcing the police and fire department to assist Dollywood guests to safety.

“A strong thunderstorm caused flash flooding a Dollywood,” the resort said in a message on X. “With the assistance of Pigeon Forge police and fire departments, park personnel directed guests to safety during the storm.

“At this time, one minor injury has been reported. [Dollywood is supporting] guests whose vehicles were affected by this weather event, and cleanup crews have been deployed.”

Reports said that 4.5 inches of rain fell in the Pigeon Forge area on Sunday while the National Weather Service did not call off its flash flood warning for Sevier County until nearly 10 p.m.

Videos posted on social media saw Dollywood attendees slushing through ankle-deep water in some areas while some were in parking lot water rising to their vehicle doors. Some visitors had to stay at Dollywood longer than expected because the flood closed roads throughout the night.

It wasn’t the first time the region saw torrential rain this month. On July 13, hundreds of thousands of residents at a Tennessee campground had to be evacuated because of flash flooding while rains spread to Buchanan County, Va. That led to 44 missing person reports.

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