Dollywood amusement park experiences flash flooding

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

Park workers and the Pigeon Forge police and fire departments directed guests to safety on Sunday afternoon, and one minor injury was reported, park officials said in a statement. The amusement park said it was supporting guests whose vehicles were affected and cleanup crews were deployed. The park was opening at noon Monday and the park’s Splash Country, which wasn’t affected, opened at its regular time.

A road collapse closed McCarter Hollow Road at the entrance to Dollywood on Sunday night, according to the Pigeon Forge Police Department.

JeMiale McKinney of Knoxville and his wife and two daughters are season pass holders and headed to the park Sunday. Sometimes, when there is a threat of bad weather, that is the best time to go because many people will leave and once the weather clears, you get shorter ride times, McKinney said.

However, it was pouring buckets and within 10 minutes the entrance was blocked. People could see that it wouldn’t be worth it to drive through the water that was thigh-deep in some places, McKinney said.

“We got trapped in the parking lot faster than we thought,” he said. They were stuck there for two hours until a crew broke down a fence so people could get out.

“I was surprised about how calm people were,” he said.

Nearly 5 inches of rain fell in the area in about an hour, Dollywood spokesperson Wes Ramey said in an email.

“While the volume of rain was difficult for both the park’s and the city’s infrastructure to manage, the fact we have only one minor injury illustrates how well our hosts handled the situation and how well our guests followed their directions,” Ramey said.

The park will evaluate the response to determine whether any changes are needed, he said.