Footage shared Wednesday showed the moment an enormous rockslide collapsed onto a parking lot in the popular tourist destination of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on Sept. 1.
The sudden slide was somehow captured on film without seeming to injure anyone, and it’s one of the most intimidating things I’ve ever seen. Shared by AccuWeather, the video shows a rock face next to a Food City supermarket parking lot, which has clearly been “reinforced” using bits of spit and crepe paper…? Whatever the reinforcements actually are, they clearly didn’t have any real strength.
What started as a tiny tumble of a few rocks quickly developed into half of the cliff face collapsing in one fell swoop, sending a torrent of heavy rocks and debris into the parking lot. Some cars were definitely hit, but it’s unclear precisely what damage the slide caused.
Well, that escalated quickly…A rockslide was caught on camera crashing into a supermarket parking lot in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/87fXo4gg49
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) September 6, 2023
One of the managers at Food City told local outlet WATE that crews have been working hard to remove the debris. But with such a large and unstable rockface right next to the parking lot, it’s only a matter of time before another chunk comes crumbling down.
The area has apparently been blocked off for everyone’s safety, WCHS reported. But there are no updates on what will be done to secure the area from future collapse. (RELATED: One National Park Hikes Price Tag To Cover Costs. Why Aren’t Our Taxes Protecting Our Land?)
Some 12 million or more people visit Gatlinburg every year, according to American Patriot Getaways, thanks to its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (the best national park in America, don’t even try me on this one). So let’s hope no one gets caught out in the future.