FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — State and federal officials ramped up efforts Monday to locate around 15 people who are missing after a major flash flood swept through in the Grand Canyon, killing at least one person.
Weather forecasters warned rain and thunderstorms could bring more flooding to the popular tourist attraction from where scores of visitors were evacuated following the flood Saturday in Bright Angel Creek. The deluge also destroyed the only water pipeline in the canyon, leading to emergency water restrictions for year-round residents. Tourists have been barred from staying at lodges and hotels inside the park.
Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours.
“With deep monsoonal moisture in place and already saturated soils in some locations, an elevated risk of flash flooding will be in place through Monday,” the National Weather Service said Monday.
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details. More than 60 people were airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to provide information. The Arizona Department of Public Safety helped with evacuations Sunday.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of every person unaccounted for after the flash flooding at the Grand Canyon,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs posted Sunday.
The state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs was coordinating with the park service and county emergency management officials in search and recovery efforts, Hobbs said.
Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when heavy rain started falling Saturday.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.
Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were rescued by helicopter late Saturday after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.
Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over Bright Angel Creek that runs into the Colorado River, widening the bed and extending an existing river rapid or creating a new one. The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.
“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”
In August 2024, a woman was swept away in a flash flood while hiking in the Havasupai region of the Grand Canyon. Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found dead after a three-day search.
Halting overnight stays at the park because of a lack of water is rare, although the pipeline frequently has failed over the years. While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won’t be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.
A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.
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Stengle reported from Dallas. Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.
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