Montana Flooding: Hundreds Trapped in Roundup as Musselshell River Rises Into Flood Stage

Authorities scrambled to restore road access for hundreds of people left isolated by high waters as flooded rivers in Montana and Wyoming began to recede Tuesday. Taking advantage of the lull, crews hurried to shore up sandbag flood defenses around Manderson, Wyo., and Roundup, Mont.
In Roundup, more than three dozen homes, businesses and ranches were damaged. Outside the town, as many as 400 people were cut off in rural areas after concerns over the surging Musselshell River prompted the closure of a key bridge. "The Roundup area picked up generally one-half to three-quarters of an inch of liquid precipitation Monday and Monday night from Winter Storm Vulcan," said weather.com meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. "This includes about one to two inches of snow, with heavier amounts upriver; that snow will melt quickly." Crews were working to restore the route Tuesday but it was unclear when it would re-open, local officials said. There was no word on when the evacuated residents near the Musselshell could return home. A storm that began Monday night and continued early Tuesday dumped the equivalent of an inch of rain in the Roundup area.
With cooler temperatures over the past two days, the river had fallen almost 3 feet from its Monday peak.



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