More storms possible at Grand Canyon where a flash flood killed 1, left 15 missing

GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Ariz. — State and national officials ramped up efforts Monday to find astir 15 radical who are missing after a large flash flood swept done successful the Grand Canyon, sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 person.

Weather forecasters warned rainfall and thunderstorms could bring much flooding to the fashionable tourer attraction from wherever scores of visitors were evacuated pursuing the flood Saturday successful Bright Angel Creek. The deluge besides destroyed the lone h2o pipeline successful the canyon, starring to exigency h2o restrictions for year-round residents. Tourists person been barred from staying astatine lodges and hotels wrong the park.

Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the nationalist parkland strategy — tin beryllium peculiarly unsafe successful the summertime due to the fact that of the hazard of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, oregon rainy season. Clear days tin springiness mode rapidly to thunderstorms and downpours.

“With heavy monsoonal moisture successful spot and already saturated soils successful immoderate locations, an elevated hazard of flash flooding volition beryllium successful spot done Monday,” the National Weather Service said Monday.

The assemblage of a 46-year-old antheral was recovered Sunday evening adjacent Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details. More than 60 radical were airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The parkland work asked anyone with details astir hikers oregon campers inactive unaccounted for to supply information. The Arizona Department of Public Safety helped with evacuations Sunday.

“My bosom is with the families and loved ones of each idiosyncratic unaccounted for aft the flash flooding astatine the Grand Canyon,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs posted Sunday.

The authorities Department of Emergency and Military Affairs was coordinating with the parkland work and region exigency absorption officials successful hunt and betterment efforts, Hobbs said.

Parth Desai was hiking done a constrictive transition successful Bright Angel Canyon with chap physicians and a parkland ranger erstwhile dense rainfall started falling Saturday.

“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up retired of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” helium said.

Later, arsenic they made their mode toward Phantom Ranch, a workfellow shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” arsenic a 4-foot (1-meter) debris partition headed toward them and they ran up into a spot of cacti, helium said. They were rescued by chopper precocious Saturday aft making it to the Phantom Ranch area, helium said.

Torrents of h2o wiped retired footbridges implicit Bright Angel Creek that runs into the Colorado River, widening the furniture and extending an existing stream accelerated oregon creating a caller one. The flood was a large stroke to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 cardinal visitors a twelvemonth and astir 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.

“Heaven assistance america if the full happening down determination astatine the bottommost has to beryllium reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, manager of the Center for Colorado River Studies astatine Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”

In August 2024, a pistillate was swept distant successful a flash flood portion hiking successful the Havasupai portion of the Grand Canyon. Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was recovered dormant aft a three-day search.

Halting overnight stays astatine the parkland due to the fact that of a deficiency of h2o is rare, though the pipeline often has failed implicit the years. While the Grand Canyon has ample retention tanks for potable h2o connected the South Rim, they won’t beryllium refilled portion the pipeline is retired of service.

A $208 cardinal rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated h2o transportation strategy started successful 2023, with the parkland work calling it a important concern to guarantee the parkland tin conscionable the needs of residents and visitors. The task was expected to beryllium completed adjacent year.

Stengle reported from Dallas. Jeffrey Collins successful Columbia, South Carolina; Holly Ramer successful Concord, New Hampshire; Felicia Fonseca successful Flagstaff, Arizona; and Christopher Weber successful Los Angeles contributed.