GATLINBURG, Tenn.- Park rangers and maintenance teams are beginning to assess roads, campgrounds and facilities across Great Smoky Mountains National Park for any damages sustained during the severe weather of the last 24 hours.
The National Park Service (NPS) will reopen roads and facilities as soon as conditions allow. Elkmont and Cades Cove campgrounds will remain closed overnight. The NPS will issue an update tonight on the status of park roads.
Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn. and Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C. are open. Smokemont Campground in North Carolina is also open.
High wind and red flag warnings are in effect until this afternoon. And despite rain today, a burn ban is still in effect, which prohibits all campfires and charcoal use until further notice.
- National Park Service release
