Utah resident Corey Middleton was visiting the Havasu Falls area in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park last week when extreme flooding left him and some 200 tourists stranded and awaiting rescue. Middleton joins FOX Weather to describe how this life-threatening situation unfolded before his eyes.
BEAVER FALLS, Ariz. – A Utah man is recounting his harrowing rescue where extreme flooding left him and dozens of hikers stranded inside Grand Canyon National Park.
“I count ourselves pretty blessed and quite lucky, given certain circumstances,” Corey Middleton told FOX Weather on Monday, fortunate to be alive after the bucket-list item to traverse Havasu Falls for him and his family turned into a nightmare.
Heavy rains flooded Havasu Creek last Thursday afternoon, stranding around 200 hikers, including several above and below Beaver Falls, according to National Park Service officials.
Corey Middleton, his sister and her companion, along with her 9-year-old daughter, hiked in during the early-morning hours last Thursday and reached their campsite by mid-morning.
“We were pretty excited because the weather was actually really good,” he said. “We were expecting it to be hot, being the Grand Canyon in August.
ARIZONA NATIONAL GUARD RESCUES MORE THAN 100 FROM GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK FLOODING
Heavy rains flooded Havasu Creek last Thursday afternoon, stranding around 200 hikers, including several above and below Beaver Falls, according to National Park Service officials.
The group decided to set up camp shortly after 10 a.m. By lunchtime, it had started to sprinkle lightly, and Middleton decided they all should take a nap after hiking for six hours.
“As we entered the tent, it started to rain a little harder, and then at that point, there was a flash flood alert that hit everybody’s phones,” he said.
About five minutes later, a park ranger approached and warned the group that it was time to move their tent to higher ground. Middleton noted that there wasn’t much urgency, as officials said a flash flood was expected in about 40 minutes.
“We decided to move our tent first to higher ground. We thought that meant just moving it up the embankment because we were camped pretty close to the water,” he said.
Once they moved, it started raining even harder.
“We realized that people were really starting to panic and starting to move faster. At that point, my sister and I looked at each other, and we just said, ‘We need to get out of here,’” Middleton said.
Ten minutes later, a nearby bridge was completely surrounded by water. Officials with the National Weather Service said the area received between 1 and 2 inches of rain within 60-90 minutes.
“Trees, all kinds of debris, were crushed up against it and was impassable,” Middleton recalled.
HIKER SWEPT AWAY IN GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK DURING FLASH FLOOD
Flash flooding in Havasupai Village in northern Arizona on Thursday destroyed bridges and walkways, leaving about 200 hikers stranded.
Middleton, his sister and about six other people hiked two miles back up the canyon and traversed what they call the “ladder area,” which had been destroyed, to grab what belongings they could salvage that had been washed away in the flash flood.
“We grabbed as much stuff as we could and then hiked it back down to the village because there was no way to get a mule back up that area,” he said. “There were a lot of people that lost everything. They didn’t have wallets. They didn’t have phones.”
The Arizona Department of Emergency Management and Arizona National Guard members evacuated 104 people out of the canyon, including members of the Havasupai community and people visiting Havasupai Falls.
A scary situation unfolded over the weekend at one of our nation’s most popular national parks. Rounds of rain at the Grand Canyon triggered major flash flooding, leaving nearly 200 hikers trapped while visiting the park’s Havasupai Falls. Arizona National Guard Communications Director Maj. Erin Hannigan with more on the rescue.
Middleton, who was later separated from his sister and family during the evacuation process, was one of the last people to be airlifted out of the canyon Friday night. His sister and family stayed in the lodge overnight and evacuated the next day.
A large and multiday search for a woman who was swept away during the flash flooding came to an end Monday after authorities said the body of 33-year-old Chenboa Nickerson, of Gilbert, Arizona, was found on the Colorado River. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner.
As for that next Havasu Falls hiking trip, Middleton said it might be a while until he starts packing his bags.
“I may have to do it again,” he adds, “but I don’t know if that’s going to be in the near future.”