Posted on 08/17/2008 3:29:43 PM PDT by flyfree
An earthen dam broke near the Grand Canyon following heavy rains, and officials are evacuating hundreds from the massive gorge.
Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge says Redlands Dam broke at about 6 a.m. and is causing some flooding in the town of Supai at the bottom of the canyon.
She says Supai is not under water. About 400 members of the Havasupai Tribe live there.
Oltrogge says some campers and river runners in the canyon also are being evacuated by seven helicopters at the scene.
She says evacuees are being taken to a Red Cross shelter in Peach Springs.
No injuries have been reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktnv.com ...
Breaking News: Dam Breaks
Good thing Pelosi and Obama didn’t get their dirty hands on the strategic reserves, we might actually have an emergency where we can’t wait for the Middle East.
There is nothing like a thunderstorm at the grand canyon :)
Statement as of 3:10 PM MDT on August 17, 2008
The National Weather Service in Flagstaff has issued a
* Flash Flood Warning for...
central Coconino County in north central Arizona...
* until 715 PM MST
* at 306 PM MST... National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated
flash flooding from a thunderstorm over the warned area.
Flood waters are likely moving down Red Lake wash... Monument
Wash... as well as upper portions of Cataract Creek. This warning
is in addition to a Flash Flood Warning already in effect for lower
portions of Cataract Creek and the Supai area.
Most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Never drive your vehicle into
areas where the water covers the roadway. Flood waters are usually
deeper than they appear. Just one foot of flowing water is powerful
enough to sweep vehicles off the Road. When encountering flooded
roads make the smart choice... turn around... dont drown.
Flooding is occurring or is imminent. It is important to know where
you are relative to streams... rivers... or creeks which can become
killers in heavy rains. Campers and hikers should avoid streams or
creeks.
Lat... Lon 3576 11233 3534 11212 3535 11242 3574 11254
The Indians call it "Maize..."
Meanwhile, three empty tour boats were spotted down the river, but all 16 occupants were located on a ledge off the river bank, said Maureen Oltrogge, spokeswoman for Grand Canyon National Park. All 16 were airlifted from the scene and transported to the shelter.
More rain was forecast for the area Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/08/17/arizona.dam/
Warren Youngman, assistant special agent in charge with the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, said water breached the Redlands Dam south of the village after heavy rains Sunday, and everyone was ordered to evacuate the canyon for safety reasons.
There is no estimated time when the evacuation will be complete. Evacuees are being taken to a Red Cross shelter in Peach Springs.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/17/20080817supai0817online.html
We rafted the canyon about 12 yrs ago. We hiked up the side canyon carved by the Havasu River, some going all the way to the falls. It was truly beautiful.
If the people whose rafts washed away were on the rocks just West of the Havasu, they had good high rocks to wait on. The River has cut a fairly deep gorge right at the conflence of the Colorado.
That has to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Ah, a recycled Quonset hut and ye olde swamp cooler... the Arizona of my youth.
You didn’t say if you were 15 miles downstream or not, but if you were, you got outta there just in time!!!
What a beautiful place to have a getaway.
I chose several years ago to get back to the country, and live on a huge lake in east Tennessee. Fortunately, I am upstream of the dam. At the top of a large ridge (some would call them mountains).
In spite of this, I paid a huge flood insurance policy till recently, when some wealthier landowners here got together and straightened this out.
It would take a “Noah’s Ark” type flood to get to me up here on this ridge. Yet, I am very close to some boat launches and can be on this lake quickly.
Are the monsoons there a result of all this global warming? Somebody should tell folks in southeast Asia that is why they have had these monsoons so many hundreds of years.
Glad you are okay flycatcher. Nature is awesome isn’t it? I experience some real doozy storms here, am prepared for long time power outages. We have been without power for 48 hours, in very cold weather. Being isolated, we are the last ones to get help in these situations, but we deal with it (smile). In fact, it adds some excitement to life.
LOL.
Diana, you have been through this. And very good questions, BTW.
I’m still waiting on FEMA to reimburse me for all the money I spent on flood insurance, and I live on top of a danged mountain, WAY above the dam.
SOMEBODY has to pay for all the humanitarian help this horrible country offers (sarc).
I’m calling Sean Penn, he’ll help me!!!
Bet my lake is bigger than your lake! LOL!
My getaway is on Grapevine Mesa near Meadview AZ. The end of the Grand Canyon is a few miles east and Lake Mead (my lake) is a few miles west (but more than 2,000 feet below me).
In this part of the country, the rains that arrive in late July and extend through August are known as "the Monsoon." But they are much appreciated in a land that receives under five inches of rain a year.
As for you, east Tennessee... large lakes... you must be near Knoxville. Go Vols!
Oh yes...It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a wet and long running monsoon season. It happens ever so many years.
I spent the night on Roosevelt Lake last night...Thought all hell was going to break loose...then came the calm ....The winds were hell before that though. I’m pretty sure Payson got a woopin out of it.
I’ve camped there, too. Quite some time ago. In fact, that “canyon” was just a little “depression” in the ground it was that long ago, LOL!
I’ll never forget the sight of my Mom (City Girl) on a donkey. Priceless. :)
Like walking on clouds!!!
I think we should all move there. Like this week.
The only thing Sean Penn can help you “get” is a tattoo or a social disease. Plus, I’m betting that just being in his presence lowers your IQ by about 20 points per second, LOL!
I think you and I together could beat the snot out of that “whipper-snapper.”
I’m betting he doesn’t even know how to catch a fish. He probably eats fancy fish dishes at Spago all the time and doesn’t even REALIZE it’s JUST fish that he’s paying hundreds of dollars for per bite, LOL! ;)
>I’ve camped there, too. Quite some time ago. In fact, that “canyon” was just a little “depression” in the ground it was that long ago, LOL!<
Are you the green eyed gal that Moses always talked about when we went fishing??
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