The humbling beauty of the Grand Canyon can bring even the most arrogant of individuals to their knees. But this morning, the canyon's fury showed its face when Redland Dam broke due to heavy rains. Hundreds of campers and locals were evacuated.
Looking at the canyon from the air is one thing, but from the ground the views can bring on their own hazards. This morning, those dangers were realized as rains caused Redland Dam to break, sending flood waters into the canyon.
According to
CNN:
Arizona's Redland Dam broke in the morning, sending water down Cataract Canyon and west in Supai Canyonspokesman for the Coconino County sheriff's department. The Supai is within the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
Authorities said helicopters were evacuating more than 200 campers, paddlers and other tourists, and another 400 residents of the Supai area. Black Hawk helicopters, along with other types of helicopters, were pulling out evacuees and taking them to emergency shelters in Arizona. Some tourists and day boaters had their boats whisked away by flood waters after they parked them where Havasu Creek and the Colorado River meet.
This area is also familiar to daily guided trips who frequent the Grand Canyon:
Geoff Gourley, a veteran river guide at the Grand Canyon, said campers on multi-day paddling trips often park their boats at the narrow mouth of Havasu Creek to hike along scenic ridges of side canyons.
Sixteen campers who were on a private charter were rescued from the flooded area, with no injuries reported.
Heavy rains in the area caused the dam break and it was reported that rains as much as 15 miles away could cause flooding that could wash away a moored vessel without warning. There had been at least 8 inches of rain in the area on Friday according to the AP.
The National Weather Service predicted that more rain in the area is likely.
Grand Canyon Flooding Due To Break In Dam Causing Evacuation Of Around 600
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