Tri-Cities family braves flash flooding at Dollywood

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A day at Dollywood quickly turned into an unexpected water ordeal for a Tri-Cities family Sunday.

The Worley family was visiting the park after their son played a basketball tournament in the Pigeon Forge area.

“We promised our daughter that we’ll take her to Dollywood before the summer ended,” Cedric Worley told News Channel 11.

When the family arrived at the park around 2 p.m., the weather was beautiful, but Worley said rain showers began a few hours later.

“We went to the bubble show, and then we came out and it was a torrential downpour,” Worley said.

Worley said he wasn’t concerned by the rain at first, and the family stayed in the park to find some dinner when the flooding became more serious.

“The restaurant started to flood so we couldn’t eat,” Worley said. “Then we had to leave.”

At that point, Worley said the water was only up to his ankles, but as they made the 15-minute walk to the family car, water reached as high as his thigh.

For his part, Worley was unfazed by the flash flooding.

“It was it was fun for me, I enjoyed it,” Worley said. “My wife was nervous, but you know a lot of people were scared because their cars were submerged.”

But Worley’s son Braylon, age 12, and daughter Chandler, age 7, were a little more intimidated by the washout.

“Just thinking about how, what stuff is under the water because it is not really clear and it is very murky,” Braylon said.

Chandler said the water reached at or above her waist on the walk back to the car.

“There could have been snakes under the water and it was pretty scary,” Chandler told News Channel 11.

Park officials confirmed one minor injury Sunday evening. The park reopened on Monday.

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