Meanwhile, outside of the population centers that border the park, there's a maze of damaged roads. A key bridge that leads to the town of Fishtail collapsed, causing traffic to divert through a single-lane county road. There are about 500 people in Fishtail.
Lee Johnson and his wife and daughter run the restaurant Montasia, so named because it's a fusion of Malaysian and Montana cuisine. He said business has plummeted.
"When we opened for the first time after the flood, it started just dead. And you start to have that sense of dread creep in. Did I do all this, did I sink all this money in, have I started this business and people can't even get here anymore?" Johnson said.
Johnson and his Malaysian wife Yokie took over the lease on a landmark 124-year-old Fishtail building earlier this year, transferring their restaurant from another part of the state. For Yokie, the business was a dream come true.
"Not being from Montana, I wanted to own something," she said. Going into business with her family was her biggest goal. Yokie said running the restaurant gives her strength as she battles cancer.
"I'm not sure how much time I have left, so the time I have left I want to be with my family, work with them every day, see them every day," she said.
Johnson said he is humbled by the chance to support his wife and determined to keep the restaurant open while the flood damage is repaired.
"You hitch your wagon to this community and it's just a matter of keeping up," he said.
