Grand Canyon Flooding

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) Supai Canyon Evacuation Completed

The eleven individuals previously reported missing in the Supai Canyon flood area have been located and all are safe. As a precaution, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office officials are currently crosschecking information with those who were evacuated and those who left the area through the exit checkpoint over the past few days. As of yesterday, approximately 426 people had been evacuated by helicopter from the canyon. No fatalities or serious injuries resulting from this incident have been reported to the sheriff’s office. Some residents of the Supai Village chose not to be evacuated and remained in the canyon. On Monday, a flyover was conducted and officials found no one in need of assistance. Water levels in the area are still too high to conduct an extensive ground search, but search and rescue personnel from several agencies plan to do a more extensive search when the water levels subside. The Red Cross reception center housed eight residents of Supai Canyon on Monday evening. Another sixteen elders are staying at a local lodge and the Red Cross is providing meals for them. All of the evacuated tourists have left the area. Supai Canyon residents should be able to return to their homes today. All lifeline systems are currently operating in the canyon, including water, power and telephone services. The Hualapai Tribe has received three truckloads of donated supplies from St. Mary’s Food Bank and the National Relief Charities. Items include meal kits, blankets, water, Gatorade and hygiene products. [Submitted by Coconino County Sheriff’s Office]

Grand Canyon National Park (AZ) Stranded Boaters Rescued

Late on the afternoon on Saturday, August 16th, Havasu Canyon, a popular side canyon of the Grand Canyon, flash flooded as a result of heavy, localized, monsoon rains. That evening, park dispatch received word that five unmanned rafts had been seen floating down the Colorado River with supplies and lifejackets aboard. Initial investigation by park staff revealed that these rafts belonged to a single, private boating party of 16 people whose itinerary would have put then in the vicinity of Havasu Canyon at the time of the flood. Around 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, a park helicopter found the party stranded on a ledge at the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River. There were short-hauled, one at a time, from the ledge to the shore of the Colorado River, where they could be picked up by helicopter and flown to Hualapai Hilltop. From there, the group was transported by bus to a Red Cross shelter in Peach Springs. To ensure the safety of park visitors, river rangers also contacted groups who were still upriver from the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River to inform them of the conditions at the confluence, and aerial checks of the river corridor were also conducted. Commercial river operators carry satellite phones which worked well throughout this event. No other reports of difficulties due to these flood conditions were received by the park. No park roads or facilities were damaged, the park remains open and fully operational. For more information on the effects of this flood in Grand Canyon National Park, contact the Public Affairs Office at 928-638-7958. For information on continuing efforts to aid those affected by the flood within Havasu Canyon and Supai Village, contact the Incident Information Center at 928-679-4161. If you are checking on family members with permits to float the river or backpack in the backcountry of Grand Canyon National Park, please contact Grand Canyon’s river information line at 928-638-7884. [Submitted by Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]