Deadly Grand Canyon flash flood leaves 1 dead, 15 unaccounted for
More rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the Grand Canyon on Monday, August 31, days after a major flash flood killed one person. About 15 others were missing or unaccounted for which forced the evacuation of dozens of visitors.
The flooding also destroyed the park's only water pipeline, prompting emergency water restrictions that barred tourists from staying overnight at lodges and hotels inside the park. Year-round residents were asked to conserve water.
A flood watch remained in effect Monday as the National Weather Service warned of an elevated risk of flash flooding.
“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 weather service said early Monday.
The National Park Service said the body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. It did not immediately provide further details.
More than 60 people were airlifted from the canyon after flooding struck Bright Angel Creek on Saturday. The creek flows into the Colorado River.
The park service has appealed to the public for information about hikers or campers who remain unaccounted for. The Arizona Department of Public Safety also assisted with evacuations on Sunday.
The flood has highlighted the dangers posed by the summer monsoon season at the Grand Canyon, where clear weather can rapidly give way to thunderstorms and heavy downpours.
Parth Desai, who was hiking through a narrow section of Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when the rain began, described seeing the creek rapidly swell.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.
As the group later headed towards Phantom Ranch, one of Desai's colleagues shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” after spotting a roughly 4-foot wall of debris moving towards them. The group ran into a patch of cacti and was eventually rescued by helicopter late Saturday after reaching the Phantom Ranch area, Desai said.
The flood swept away footbridges across Bright Angel Creek and dramatically changed the surrounding terrain. It widened the creek bed and either extended an existing rapid or created a new one.
The destruction is also a major setback for efforts to modernise the pipeline that supplies water to about 6 million visitors each year and roughly 1,600 year-round 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 Centre for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”
Overnight stays being halted because of water shortages are unusual at the park, although the pipeline has experienced repeated failures over the years.
The Grand Canyon has large storage tanks containing potable water on the South Rim, but those tanks cannot be replenished while the pipeline remains out of service.
A USD 208 million project to rehabilitate the pipeline and upgrade the wider water delivery system began in 2023. The National Park Service has described the project as essential to meeting the needs of visitors and residents, with completion expected next year.
The latest flooding has raised fresh concerns over the vulnerability of the infrastructure and the challenge of maintaining essential services at one of the United States' most visited national parks while dealing with increasingly hazardous monsoon conditions.
(With inputs from PTI)
