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National Park Service/AP
Hundreds Evacuated in Grand Canyon Flooding
August 18, 2008 03:20 PM
Rescue officials have plucked dozens of campers and residents from the Grand Canyon after days of rain created flooding problems.
Flooding in the Grand Canyon
Severe flooding in the Grand Canyon caught dozens of campers by surprise and broke the Redlands Earthen Dam, which is 45 miles upstream of the Hualapai village.
Gerry Blair, a spokesman for the Coconino County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Department, said it wasn’t a “huge, significant” structure, and the break was only part of the flooding problem.
Officials from the Havasupai Tribe, who live in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon, say water levels in Havasu Creek began rising before the Redlands Dam broke. An unknown number of bridges have been washed away in the floods.
Five helicopters were used to lift dozens of campers and residents to safety. The water “was rushing and raging,” reported Emily Gerlick, a camper who was flown out of the area. “It sounded like a freight train.” Some campers became stranded after seeking higher ground when the water came.
Authorities halted rescue efforts on Sunday night because of darkness. People affected by the flood were on high enough ground to be safe for a while, Blair said.
According to The Arizona Republic, no injuries had been reported as of late Sunday night.
Gerry Blair, a spokesman for the Coconino County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Department, said it wasn’t a “huge, significant” structure, and the break was only part of the flooding problem.
Officials from the Havasupai Tribe, who live in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon, say water levels in Havasu Creek began rising before the Redlands Dam broke. An unknown number of bridges have been washed away in the floods.
Five helicopters were used to lift dozens of campers and residents to safety. The water “was rushing and raging,” reported Emily Gerlick, a camper who was flown out of the area. “It sounded like a freight train.” Some campers became stranded after seeking higher ground when the water came.
Authorities halted rescue efforts on Sunday night because of darkness. People affected by the flood were on high enough ground to be safe for a while, Blair said.
According to The Arizona Republic, no injuries had been reported as of late Sunday night.
Related Topic: Other significant evacuations
In 2005, the U.S. recorded its largest peacetime evacuation to date, when approximately three million people, fresh from the damage of Hurricane Katrina, fled the Texas and Louisiana coastlines ahead of Hurricane Rita.
Source: The Washington Post (free registration may be required)
In April 2008, around 2,000 people were evacuated from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because gas emissions from the Kilauea volcano reached potentially dangerous levels.
Source: MSNBC (Associated Press)
In May 2008, a volcano in the southern Patagonian region of Chile, one of the world’s most seismically active areas, erupted for the first time in modern history, prompting an immediate evacuation of nearby towns. The mountain began spewing ash on May 2, launching an ashen cloud into the sky, and it resulted in the evacuation of more than 4,000 people in Chaiten and Futaleufu.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Home Protection; National Parks
The findingDulcinea Web Guide to Home Protection recommends some of the best online resources for learning how to protect your home from the damage caused by natural disasters, intruders and pest infestations.
Source: findingDulcinea
Read the findingDulcinea Web Guide to National Parks to learn how to explore the nation’s national parks online or in person.
Source: findingDulcinea
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