Phantom Ranch evacuees airlifted amid flash flooding
David Gregory rides aboard an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter carrying four passengers after evacuating Phantom Ranch on Aug. 29.
Devastating flooding at the Grand Canyon has left at least one person dead and more than a dozen others unaccounted for, according to the National Park Service.
Park officials said Aug. 30 that more than 60 people had been evacuated and approximately 15 others may be missing after significant flash flooding swept through parts of the Grand Canyon. The body of a 46-year-old man was later recovered near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon National Park said in a 6:30 p.m. Aug. 30 update on the flooding.
Park officials urged anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Aug. 29, as well as anyone with a campground reservation in the affected area, to contact the agency’s Investigative Services Branch.
“This includes individuals who may have been traveling along the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as ‘the Box’ north of Phantom Ranch,” according to a park news release.
Almost all of the footbridges spanning Bright Angel Canyon were destroyed, cutting off hiker access, the park service said. The Colorado River was closed to river traffic due to debris in the water.
The flooding caused “extensive damage to inner canyon infrastructure,” including a waterline, which supplies the park, officials said. The park will implement stage 4 water restrictions on the South Rim starting at noon local time on Aug. 31, shuttering some overnight accommodations, turning off water spigots and prohibiting fires in some areas.
The park service warned that more thunderstorms and heavy rain were possible Aug. 31, which could bring additional flooding, debris flows and rockfall. A flood watch remains in effect for all of northern and central Arizona, according to the National Weather Service outpost in Flagstaff.
“Flash flooding will be possible in creeks, normally dry washes, swimming holes, and over recently burned areas,” forecasters said. “Raging killer currents will be possible in side canyons and narrow slot canyons. Low-water crossings may be flooded.”
Hiker recounts harrowing evacuation
David Gregory, from Texas, told the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, he hiked into Phantom Ranch on the morning of Aug. 29 with a friend and the friend’s two sons, ages 13 and 17. Heavy rain moved over the area that afternoon, and a ranger first told visitors to prepare for a possible evacuation.
Minutes later, the warning became an order to leave.
“Things just kind of escalated really quickly,” Gregory said.
Gregory and the others crossed a small bridge over the creek and moved to higher ground. He was eventually evacuated by helicopter. Workers later told him the bridge had been washed away.
“We were fortunate that we got across before the creek got bigger or before the debris came in and just completely took out that bridge,” Gregory said.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert told the Republic he was rafting the Colorado River with friends when a distant roar began echoing through the Grand Canyon. Then his group rounded a bend near Bright Angel Creek.
“It sounded like a handful of locomotives coming through and smashing boulders,” Schweikert said.
Schweikert said he watched what appeared to be part of a metal building, bridge or construction structure float into the river as boulders crashed together in the floodwater, scenes that were also corroborated by other interviews done by The Arizona Republic.
The rafting crew quickly recognized something was wrong and stopped the group east of where the floodwater was entering the Colorado River, Schweikert said. He later hiked out on the Bright Angel Trail, where he encountered some washed-out areas and saw water flowing in places that are normally dry.
What parts of Grand Canyon are closed?
The park said the following areas are closed until further notice, as staff assesses damage:
- Bright Angel Campground
- Hotel facilities operated by park concessionaire Xanterra, including Phantom Ranch, Phantom Ranch Canteen and other cabins
- The entire North Kaibab Trail from North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch
- Black Bridge and Silver Bridge crossing the Colorado River
“There is currently no estimated reopening date for these areas and other inner canyon closures may be necessary,” the park said.
Contributing: Eve Chen and Thao Nguyen. USA TODAY