Family watches as their home is swallowed by Yellowstone River floodwaters: "It's like watching a live funeral"
Parts of Yellowstone National Park may be closed for the rest of the summer season after historic flooding overwhelmed bridges and roads. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the area including Victoria and TJ Britton.
They ran out of their front door Monday with a few belongings and their pets—not knowing it would be the last time they would be in their home.
Within hours they watched from higher ground as the rushing waters of Yellowstone River swallowed their entire home.
"It's like watching a live funeral. I've watched it on TV happened to lots of other people, and when it happens to you it's devastating," TJ Britton told CBS News.
Officials say it floated for 5 miles before it sunk. Victoria said despite the huge loss, the family is grateful they made it out before the river took the home.
"We're lucky it held out till the morning, and you know, we were able to have a little heads up and get out of there, because otherwise we would probably be swimming in the river," she said.
Across Montana, there are water rescues as the flooding is stranding families and isolating communities.
"We've been spending most of the day today helping people that have been stranded," one rescue worker said.
The river, which carves its way through Yellowstone National Park, hit historic water levels after days of rain and large snowmelt.
The Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs crested at 13.88 feet on Monday, breaking the previously set record of 11.5 feet set in 1918, according to the National Weather Service.
The popular tourist destination that sees 2 million visitors every summer is completely shut down. No word on when it will reopen.