About 15 people remained missing or unaccounted for after a deadly flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon, forcing more than 60 air rescues, destroying critical water infrastructure and prompting new restrictions as additional storms threatened the park Monday.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Grand Canyon remained under the threat of additional storms and flash flooding Monday as search efforts continued for about 15 people still missing or unaccounted for after a powerful weekend flood killed at least two people and caused widespread damage deep inside the park.
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details. At least one other body has been recovered, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the Grand Canyon National Park. It provided no other details.
Saturday’s flooding surged through Bright Angel Creek, a tributary that flows into the Colorado River, forcing emergency crews to airlift more than 60 people from the canyon.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety assisted with additional evacuations Sunday as authorities continued trying to determine the whereabouts of hikers and campers who had not yet been accounted for.
The National Park Service asked anyone with information about people who may still be missing to contact authorities.
The danger was not over Monday.
A flood watch remained in effect as forecasters warned that additional rain and thunderstorms could trigger further flooding across already saturated terrain.
“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 National Weather Service said early Monday.
Summer conditions at the Grand Canyon can change rapidly during Arizona’s monsoon season. Clear skies can quickly give way to thunderstorms capable of producing intense rainfall in steep and narrow canyon terrain, where runoff can accelerate with little warning.
The weekend disaster demonstrated how quickly those conditions can become life-threatening.
Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow section of Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger Saturday when heavy rain began.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” Desai said.
The group continued toward Phantom Ranch before encountering another sudden threat.
Desai said one of his colleagues shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” after spotting a roughly 4-foot, or 1-meter, wall of debris moving toward them.
The hikers scrambled uphill into a patch of cacti to escape the advancing debris. They eventually reached the Phantom Ranch area and were evacuated by helicopter late Saturday.
The flood transformed portions of the canyon landscape as torrents of water carried debris through Bright Angel Creek.
Footbridges crossing the creek were destroyed. The creek bed widened substantially, and the surge either extended an existing rapid in the Colorado River or created a new one.
The destruction also dealt a major blow to one of the Grand Canyon’s most important infrastructure projects.
The park’s only water pipeline serving tourists and permanent residents was destroyed in the flooding, forcing officials to impose emergency conservation measures Monday.
Overnight lodging at hotels and lodges inside the park was suspended because of the water shortage, while approximately 1,600 year-round residents of Grand Canyon Village were asked to conserve water.
“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the park said in a statement.
The disruption is particularly significant because the damaged pipeline serves an area visited by approximately 6 million people each year.
The Grand Canyon maintains large potable-water storage tanks on the South Rim, but those supplies cannot be replenished while the pipeline remains out of service.
Closing overnight accommodations because of a water shortage is unusual, although failures involving the aging pipeline have occurred repeatedly over the years.
At the time of the flood, the National Park Service was already carrying out a $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and associated water-delivery infrastructure.
Construction began in 2023 as part of what the park service described as an essential investment intended to provide a more dependable water system for residents and millions of annual visitors.
The project had been expected to be completed next year.
The extent of the new flood damage raises questions about how much of that infrastructure may now need to be repaired or rebuilt.
Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, expressed concern about the potential cost if extensive sections of the system at the bottom of the canyon have been destroyed.
“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” Schmidt said. “Where are they going to get the money?”
The damage leaves park officials confronting several simultaneous emergencies: searching for people still missing, protecting visitors and residents from additional flooding, managing sharply limited water supplies and determining the condition of critical infrastructure throughout Bright Angel Canyon.
The threat of more rainfall complicates each of those efforts.
With saturated soils and deep monsoonal moisture remaining over the region, additional thunderstorms could rapidly send more runoff through steep canyon walls and narrow drainage areas.
Officials continued restricting overnight stays Monday while residents conserved the remaining potable water and emergency personnel monitored weather conditions.
The weekend flood has already left one confirmed death, roughly 15 people unaccounted for, more than 60 people evacuated by helicopter and extensive damage to trails, bridges, waterways and the park’s sole water pipeline.
Further rainfall could worsen conditions before recovery and reconstruction can fully begin.
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