Aug. 25 (UPI) — National Guard soldiers rescued 104 people from a flooded area of the Grand Canyon while searching for a missing hiker Sunday, authorities announced.
Monsoon rain storms washed through the bottom of the canyon at about 1:30 local time Thursday, flooding the land of the Havasupai Tribe, video from the National Guard showed. Guard soldiers used a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to evacuate tourists and tribal members but were still searching for Chenoa Nickerson, 33, from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert.
The National Park Service said in a release that Nickerson was last seen about half mile north of the confluence of Havasu Canyon and the Colorado River wearing a black tank top, black shorts, and blue hiking boots. The NPS said in the release that Nickerson may have been swept into the river by the flash flood waters.
Nickerson’s husband was rescued, a witness told a local media outlet. Officials were asking for tips from people who may have information about her whereabouts or had seen her.
Rainwater can fill Arizona’s sandstone canyons within minutes following flash floods and are known to be deadly during monsoon season. Hikers are always warned to avoid flood-prone areas when storms are forecast, because when torrential rain falls, hikers are left with virtually no time to escape.
Tribal leaders closed the village of Supai as a result of the flooding and the dangerous conditions, which followed the flooding.
“The trail into Supai and to the campground and falls are unpassable, the damage to the campground is extensive,” tribal leaders said in a Facebook post. “Therefore, the Council has made the difficult but necessary decision to close Havasupai to tourists until further notice.”
The village of Supai is a popular tourist destination for hikers, and is located about 8 miles below the rim of the Grand Canyon.