At Least 2 Killed in Grand Canyon Flash Flood, More Storms Possible with a Dozen Others Missing

At least two people are dead after flash flooding overwhelmed a remote area of the Grand Canyon on Saturday, according to National Park Service officials.

Search and rescue teams have located all but one of the 20 people who were missing. More than 80 people had to be airlifted to safety in the aftermath of the flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area.

At least one 46-year-old man was killed during the flooding, and his body was found around Crystal Rapids. Authorities warned more severe weather could hit the area Monday. As of Sunday night, around 15 people were missing or unaccounted for but have since been located. One was still missing as of Tuesday morning.

The devastating flooding over the weekend hammered Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, both of which are located deep within the Grand Canyon, on Saturday. Bright Angel Canyon, a major side canyon, runs roughly 10 miles from the North Rim down to the Colorado River, and Phantom Ranch sits at the bottom of the inner canyon, slightly north of the Colorado River.

Both areas were closed Saturday after the torrential rainfall, with more than 62 people evacuated Sunday morning.

“The flash flood resulted in significant impacts to infrastructure throughout Bright Angel Canyon,” the NPS explained. “Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek.”

Park officials also said the Colorado River would be closed to river traffic “until further notice” because of metal structures and debris entering the waterway. Those already in the canyon, the NPS said, “are receiving direction through river operations rangers and the Grand Canyon River Alert system.”

David Gregory, one of the hikers who was evacuated, told Arizona’s Family he would not have survived without the help of his rescuers. The water was moving so quickly, Gregory said, that, without help, it would have been “game over” for him.

“I definitely think we could have gotten caught up in that side creek, and if we would have fallen in or the water carried us in, I think it would have been game over,” he told the local news outlet. “Because that creek was moving so quickly, there was so many rocks and tree branches and then, once you get into the Colorado River, it was like a whirlpool in there with all the debris circling around.”

On Sunday, the NPS announced stage 4 water restrictions beginning Monday, revealing the severe weather caused “extensive damage to inner canyon infrastructure, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon to the park.”

For the “foreseeable future,” only dry camping is permitted, fires are restricted, and visitors and residents have been asked to shower for five minutes maximum and to “flush toilets selectively.”

Pray for those still missing, for the rangers and volunteers working to rescue them, and for their loved ones.