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Last week, a severe flash flood hit Grand Canyon National Park, transforming the park into a hazardous area and resulting in the tragic death of one woman, while leaving others stranded. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in Havasu Canyon, located roughly 30 miles west of Grand Canyon Village in Arizona, as per a report by USA TODAY.
The National Park Service was quick to respond, focusing on assisting hikers near Beaver Falls and locating 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson from Gilbert, Arizona. Sadly, Nickerson was later found deceased in the Colorado River on Sunday, three days after she vanished near the confluence of the river and Havasu Creek.
Following the flood, over a hundred individuals, including Carly Johnson, were airlifted from the scene by the Arizona National Guard throughout the subsequent days, according to The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network. By Saturday afternoon, everyone requesting evacuation had been safely transported out of the area.
Joelle Baird, representing the National Park Service, confirmed to USA TODAY that Nickerson’s was the only fatality related to the flood, and noted no injuries on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which manages the territory above Beaver Falls.
In a distressing moment, Carly Johnson and others sought temporary shelter from the surging muddy waters in a nearby cave at Mooney Falls when the flood struck. The murky waters rapidly filled the canyon, trapping them until they could be evacuated. Johnson shared on Facebook that they were the last group to exit the area on Friday, narrowly escaping a wall of water as they reached safety.
Following the flood, Havasupai Tribe Tourism announced on Facebook the indefinite closure of Supai Village within Havasu Canyon, citing extensive damage and declaring the area impassable. The Tribal Council emphasized that their immediate concern was the wellbeing of tribal members and service providers in Supai, with no immediate decision on the fate of existing reservations.
Officials are expected to visit Supai to assess the damage and begin clean-up and repair efforts.