Only one person remains unaccounted for after a destructive flash flood tore through a section of the Grand Canyon, according to US Park Rangers who have now reestablished contact with more than a dozen individuals previously listed as missing.
The disaster unfolded Saturday when a monsoonal storm unleashed walls of water, boulders, and debris down a heavily trafficked hiking route on the canyon’s northern edge. The deluge obliterated campgrounds in Bright Angel Canyon and near Phantom Ranch, a historic riverside outpost.
Two men lost their lives. Rescue teams recovered their bodies as a massive search operation mobilized across one of America’s most iconic tourist destinations.
Dave Black of the National Park Service confirmed Monday evening that nearly everyone known to be in the canyon at the time had been accounted for. “There is one person unaccounted for that we know of right now,” he told reporters in Grand Canyon Village.
Eighty-two people were pulled to safety over the weekend. Rangers cross-referenced backcountry permits, license plates, and family contacts to verify who might have been present when the flood struck.
Monday’s continued rainfall complicated rescue efforts. Seasonal monsoons routinely trigger flash floods across the region’s network of creeks and washes. However, clearer weather forecast for Tuesday could aid the ongoing search for the missing individual, as well as any day hikers who entered the canyon without permits.
“We are still actively searching. We are absolutely holding out hope that that person is still alive,” Black said.
The flood inflicted severe infrastructure damage. Roughly 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies drinking water and fire suppression from the North Rim to the South Rim, was destroyed or compromised. Park officials imposed water restrictions and banned wood and charcoal fires in areas where firefighting capabilities may falter.
Footbridges crossing Bright Angel Creek were wiped out, stranding hikers temporarily. Despite the destruction, the Grand Canyon remains open. Visitors continue arriving, many snapping photographs from the South Rim while rangers warn of sudden squalls and unpredictable conditions below the rim.
Flash floods strike Northern Arizona frequently during the July-to-mid-September monsoon window, when parched, rocky terrain cannot absorb sudden downpours.
