A sudden flood at the Grand Canyon last week left several hikers stranded, needing to take shelter in a cave.
Roughly 30 miles west of the national park’s south rim and Grand Canyon Village, the adjoining Havasu Canyon was hit by a flash flood shortly after one o’clock on Thursday August 22. The unexpected weather caused the National Park Service to launch a rescue team to retrieve hikers who were stranded near Beaver Falls.
More than 100 people were trapped amid the flood and needed to be airlifted from the region by the Arizona National Guard. Those trying to get out of the canyon were safely returned out of the area by Saturday afternoon. Carly Johnson was one of many stranded in Mooney Falls at the time the flood struck.
The group was trapped in the canyon amid waves of muddy water, waiting to be rescued by the evacuation team. Johnson and others took shelter in a cave near the falls, where they were somewhat shielded from the water. Video footage of the incident shows them engulfed by waves from all sides.
Johnson shared later via Facebook that she and those in her group were the last to get out of the danger zone on Friday August 23. She explained that they were climbing the ladder and, when they “got to the top of the chains,” it was already “under water.” Upon successfully leaving the chains, she added, the group observed “a wall of water” moving towards them and they ran “into this cave.”
Though most of the tourists were safely airlifted out of the impacted area, the Havasupai Indian tribe announced that the falls are closed for the time being, citing damage to homes and public buildings in the canyon town. The ongoing closure was revealed after a temporary closure was said to last through Sunday August 25.
The initial closure was to allow for a complete evacuation of tourists and coincided with the three-day search for Chenoa Nickerson, a 33-year-old hiker from Gilbert, Arizona, who was swept away in the flood. Her body was recovered three days later, where the Colorado River meets the Havasu Creek.
Nickerson’s death is the only one reported to have been caused by the flood. There were no other injuries reported in connection with the incident.
