Grand Canyon flash flood leaves 1 dead and several missing or unaccounted for, park service says
Flooding knocks out water pipeline serving tourists and residents at national park, officials say
One person died and about 15 people are missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced evacuations, pushed large boulders into the Colorado River and knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents, the National Park Service said Sunday.
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Service → leave → tourists
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the park service said without providing additional details.
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service → recover → details
The flooding Saturday in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, led to more than 60 people being airlifted from the depths of the canyon.
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people → flow → canyon
The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to get in touch.
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service → ask → touch
The Arizona Department of Public Safety was helping with additional evacuations Sunday.
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Department → help → evacuations
The limited potable water supply because of the damaged pipeline means tourists won't be able to stay overnight at lodges and hotels within the park, starting Monday.
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tourists → damage → Monday
Year-round residents are being asked to conserve water.
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residents → ask → water
Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and significantly altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and creating what appeared to be a new river rapid.
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what → wipe → bed
"This is a reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape Grand Canyon is," said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University.
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Schmidt → say → University
Popular tourist spots including the Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch and parts of the North Kaibab trail remained closed on Sunday while park officials surveyed the damage, the park said.
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park → include → damage
Rafting trips on the Colorado River have also been halted for now.
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trips → halt → River
More than 60 people were evacuated from Phantom Ranch, which has a historic canteen and dorms, and is a common spot for rafters to get off and on the river.
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rafters → evacuate → river
More evacuations were planned on Sunday, the park said.
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park → plan → Sunday
No injuries have been reported.
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injuries → report → ?
Erica Viola said she was at Bright Angel campground when the rain started Saturday afternoon, and she and about 50 other hikers watched the creek rise and then debris start to flow by, including what looked like a bunkhouse.
The group was taken by helicopter to safety, ending her adventure two days early, Viola said.
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Viola → say → adventure
Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with a group of fellow physicians and a park ranger when the downpour started.
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downpour → hike → physicians
"We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere," he said.
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he → see → ?
Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted "Up, up, up, up!" as a one-metre debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said.
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he → make → cacti
They were finally rescued by helicopter that evening after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.
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he → rescue → area
About 1.2 to 2.5 centimetres of rain fell within about 30 minutes in the rocky area where there's a steep drop in elevation, said National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Johndrow in Flagstaff.
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Johndrow → fall → Flagstaff
"Most of it ran off instantly," Johndrow said.
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Johndrow → run → it
He said the flooding happened on the north side of the Grand Canyon, where Bright Angel Creek comes from the North Rim down to the Colorado River, dropping about 1,830 metres.
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Creek → say → metres
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