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Outside Yellowstone, flooded towns struggle to recover

Mud scraped from the floor of a flooded house belonging to Lindi O'Brien is seen, June 17, 2022, in Fromberg, Mont. Local officials say about 100 homes and trailers got water when the Clarks Fork River hit record levels and jumped its banks the week before. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Melody Murter, right, wipes mud from a lithograph by Lindi O'Brien, left, Friday, June 17, 2022, that was partially submerged when floodwaters swamped O'Brien's neighborhood in Fromberg, Mont. Floodwaters that led to widespread damage in Yellowstone National Park caused their most severe impacts in communities outside the park. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) A Yellowstone National Park ranger is seen standing near a road wiped out by flooding along the Gardner River the week before, near Gardiner, Mont., June 19, 2022. Park officials said they hope to open most of the park within two weeks after it was shuttered in the wake of the floods. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Yokie Johnson turns off a lamp at the end of the night at MontAsia, the restaurant she runs with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. For Johnson, the business was a dream come true. She had beat cancer a few years ago, but it returned late last year in a more aggressive form and has spread across her body. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Portable toilets brought in for residents after a sewer line broke during the severe flooding sit outside homes as a tractor passes through Edgar, Mont. Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Harlee Holmes, 8, right, helps her bother, Creek, 3, put his shoes on as the family packs up to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lee Johnson, center, works in the kitchen of the restaurant, MontAsia, he runs with his wife, Yokie, left, as their daughter, Rose, 15, helps out in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. A key bridge that leads to the tourist town collapsed, causing traffic to divert through a single-lane county road. Johnson says the limited access is costing them dearly. "When we opened for the first time after the flood, it started just dead. And you start to have that sense of dread creep in. Did I do all this, did I sink all this money in, have I started this business and people can't even get here anymore?" Johnson said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Gavin Holmes, 9, left, and his brother, Tyce, 7, stand in their damaged home as the family packs up while forced to leave after severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Harlee Holmes, 8, cleans out her room as her family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A escort vehicle guides traffic through a single-lane county road after a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont., collapsed, causing traffic to divert, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Cattle graze on a farm in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. In the agricultural community of Fromberg the Clarks Fork River flooded almost 100 homes and badly damaged a major irrigation ditch that serves many farms in the area. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Snow capped mountains stand in the background as a detour sign directs traffic off a damaged road from severe flooding in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson, right, co-owner of the restaurant, MontAsia, talks with customers Jacob and Laci Karp in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson prepares a takeout order at the restaurant she owns with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. For Johnson, the business was a dream come true. She had beat cancer a few years ago, but it returned late last year in a more aggressive form and has spread across her body. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A river flows through a missing section of a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont. Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lindi O'Brien sorts through personal mementos in the barn of her parent's home badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Aileen Rogers helps clean out a friend's house badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes looks at his damaged home while packing up belongings as the family is forced to leave after severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes, right, drains a suitcase while packing up belongings with his son, Gavin, 9, as the family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Mud scraped from the floor of a flooded house belonging to Lindi O'Brien is seen, June 17, 2022, in Fromberg, Mont. Local officials say about 100 homes and trailers got water when the Clarks Fork River hit record levels and jumped its banks the week before. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Melody Murter, right, wipes mud from a lithograph by Lindi O'Brien, left, Friday, June 17, 2022, that was partially submerged when floodwaters swamped O'Brien's neighborhood in Fromberg, Mont. Floodwaters that led to widespread damage in Yellowstone National Park caused their most severe impacts in communities outside the park. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) A Yellowstone National Park ranger is seen standing near a road wiped out by flooding along the Gardner River the week before, near Gardiner, Mont., June 19, 2022. Park officials said they hope to open most of the park within two weeks after it was shuttered in the wake of the floods. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) Yokie Johnson turns off a lamp at the end of the night at MontAsia, the restaurant she runs with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. For Johnson, the business was a dream come true. She had beat cancer a few years ago, but it returned late last year in a more aggressive form and has spread across her body. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Portable toilets brought in for residents after a sewer line broke during the severe flooding sit outside homes as a tractor passes through Edgar, Mont. Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Harlee Holmes, 8, right, helps her bother, Creek, 3, put his shoes on as the family packs up to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lee Johnson, center, works in the kitchen of the restaurant, MontAsia, he runs with his wife, Yokie, left, as their daughter, Rose, 15, helps out in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. A key bridge that leads to the tourist town collapsed, causing traffic to divert through a single-lane county road. Johnson says the limited access is costing them dearly. "When we opened for the first time after the flood, it started just dead. And you start to have that sense of dread creep in. Did I do all this, did I sink all this money in, have I started this business and people can't even get here anymore?" Johnson said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Gavin Holmes, 9, left, and his brother, Tyce, 7, stand in their damaged home as the family packs up while forced to leave after severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Harlee Holmes, 8, cleans out her room as her family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A escort vehicle guides traffic through a single-lane county road after a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont., collapsed, causing traffic to divert, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Cattle graze on a farm in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. In the agricultural community of Fromberg the Clarks Fork River flooded almost 100 homes and badly damaged a major irrigation ditch that serves many farms in the area. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Snow capped mountains stand in the background as a detour sign directs traffic off a damaged road from severe flooding in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson, right, co-owner of the restaurant, MontAsia, talks with customers Jacob and Laci Karp in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson prepares a takeout order at the restaurant she owns with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. For Johnson, the business was a dream come true. She had beat cancer a few years ago, but it returned late last year in a more aggressive form and has spread across her body. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A river flows through a missing section of a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont. Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lindi O'Brien sorts through personal mementos in the barn of her parent's home badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Aileen Rogers helps clean out a friend's house badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes looks at his damaged home while packing up belongings as the family is forced to leave after severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes, right, drains a suitcase while packing up belongings with his son, Gavin, 9, as the family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A escort vehicle guides traffic through a single-lane county road after a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont., collapsed, causing traffic to divert, Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Cattle graze on a farm in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. In the agricultural community of Fromberg the Clarks Fork River flooded almost 100 homes and badly damaged a major irrigation ditch that serves many farms in the area. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Snow capped mountains stand in the background as a detour sign directs traffic off a damaged road from severe flooding in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson, right, co-owner of the restaurant, MontAsia, talks with customers Jacob and Laci Karp in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson prepares a takeout order at the restaurant she owns with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. For Johnson, the business was a dream come true. She had beat cancer a few years ago, but it returned late last year in a more aggressive form and has spread across her body. "I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A river flows through a missing section of a key bridge that leads to the tourist town of Fishtail, Mont. Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lindi O'Brien sorts through personal mementos in the barn of her parent's home badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. As officials scramble to reopen Yellowstone National Park to tourists this week after record floods pounded southern Montana, some of those hardest hit in the disaster live far from the famous park's limelight and are leaning heavily on one another to pull their lives out of the mud. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Aileen Rogers helps clean out a friend's house badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes looks at his damaged home while packing up belongings as the family is forced to leave after severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Matt Holmes, right, drains a suitcase while packing up belongings with his son, Gavin, 9, as the family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Yokie Johnson cleans tables at the end of the night at MontAsia, the restaurant she runs with her husband in Fishtail, Mont., Thursday, June 16, 2022. The main road into Fishtail was washed away by the recent floodwaters and Johnson worries the lack of traffic will hurt their business. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Lindi O'Brien walks through mud to look at the barn of her parent's home that was badly damaged by the severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Harley Holmes, 8, cleans out her room as her family is forced to leave their home left damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman) CORRECTS SPELLING OF FIRST NAME TO HARLEE INSTEAD OF HARLEY - Harlee Holmes, 8, right, helps her brother Creek, 3, put his shoes on as the family packs up to leave their home that was damaged by severe flooding in Fromberg, Mont., Friday, June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Outside Yellowstone, flooded towns struggle to recover