Scotty's Castle could be closed for year after Death Valley flash flood

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A major landmark in Death Valley may be closed for up to a year after flooding ravaged the area in mid-October.

Scotty's Castle has been closed indefinitely after Death Valley got a year's worth of rain in just about five hours on Oct. 18.

The National Park Service was forced to close many of the roads around Scotty's Castle as chunks of roadway were swept away or buckled in the flash flooding.

Luckily, officials said Scotty's Castle is still structurally sound, but there was some damage inside.

"Obviously it was very shocking to see it," Linda Slater with the National Park Service said. "There was a little leakage through the roof, so papers got wet, but they're dried out. One of the carpets got wet, they took it out and dried it."

Many of the buildings surrounding Scotty's Castle are filled with mud.

Seasonal workers were expecting to give tours of the castle, but instead, they'll be cleaning up all the mud.

"No one expected what happened to happen, so it's been a little surreal," Lisa Craft, a seasonal employee at Scotty's Castle said.

While it may not be the job they signed up for, some seasonal employees said they are happy to still have jobs.