Yosemite National Park remains closed as officials continue to assess the aftermath from a series of strong storms, knocking over prized giant sequoias and resulting in what could be "the most damage" in the park’s recorded history.
Hundreds of other trees toppled over, as rain, heavy now and winds reached up to 100 miles per hour - crushing vehicles and damaging homes. The damage started during a January 18 wind event, one that caused damage throughout California.
In Yosemite’s treasured Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, a staggering 15 trees blew over.
"One of them is what we call a monarch giant sequoia, being it’s one of the older ones and mature ones. It’s just something unique," said Park Spokesperson Scott Gediman. "It caused damaged to a lot of facilities. It caused damage to the boardwalk and the bathrooms, and that of course, can be repaired."
An estimated 15 to 20 homes were destroyed in Wawona as trees went through roofs and smashed vehicles. No one was injured. The Los Angeles Times reported initial estimates could be "in the ballpark" of the park’s devastating January 1997 flood, nearing $200 million.
"The damage is easily in the millions of dollars and we’re not even that much into the damage assessment because we’re still stuff we don’t even know," he said.
The park is scheduled to remain closed until at least Monday.
Officials initially targeted last weekend to reopen but have now pushed back the date twice as cleanup efforts continue. Meanwhile, the southern entrance of Yosemite will remain closed for several weeks.
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