One dead, 104 people rescued from Havasupai flooding; campground/falls closed

The Arizona National Guard rescued 104 people from flooding at a major tourist destination. Floods hit Havasupai tribal lands on Thursday, stranding tourists and tribal members. Sadly, the Havasupai flooding swept away one woman. Her body has been recovered.

Havasupai flooding—popular tourist destination

The Havasupai reservation area is a popular tourist destination. It’s known for its blue-green waterfalls, including Havasu Falls, which wows visitors with its 100-foot vertical drop.

It was a special day for one couple, Ryan and Candice Vorhees, who, like hundreds every day, come to see spectacular area. For the Vorhees, it was a celebration of their 15th wedding anniversary. It will likely be the one they remember the most.

On Thursday morning, the Vorhees were taking in the sights at Beaver Falls when a storm came up. Interviewed by Arizona Family,  Ryan Vorhees related the couple’s harrowing story.

“We got to high ground, but where we were, the trail was wiped out going back to camp and we couldn’t go forward anywhere cause the grounds were just flooded. So, it was now we just have to survive up here until help comes or until the water recedes and we can go back,” Ryan said.

In the end, the Vorhees waited seven hours until a helicopter took them out and dropped them off safely at Supai Village. They had company, a total of 15 people were airlifted away from Beaver Falls.

But it would be a bit longer before getting away from the area. Arizona’s Governor called in the National Guard to help out. On Friday and Saturday, the Guard used Blackhawk helicopters to lift more than 100 people out of the otherwise inaccessible Supai Village.

Missing woman found dead

Sadly, one person didn’t make it out alive. Floodwaters at Havasu Creek above the Colorado River caught Chenoa Nickerson from Gilbert, Arizona. She was lost at about 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The National Park Service sent out search teams looking for her. But around 5:30 p.m. her family announced on a Facebook group that her body had been located.

A commercial rafting group heading down the Colorado found Nickerson around midday Saturday. The floodwaters took her body about 19 miles downstream.

Trail into Supai “unpassable”

On Saturday, the Havasupai Tribal Council announced that the trail into Supai and to the campground and falls are unpassable, and the damage to the campground is extensive. In a statement, the tribe said, “The Council has made the difficult but necessary decision to close Havasupai to tourists until further notice.”

Officials will assess the damage and begin the process of clean-up and repairs. The Tribal Council’s focus is the health and safety of the tribal members and those who provide services in Supai.

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