Utah man captures extreme flooding in Havasu Falls area of Arizona

[@outlawbillionairez9780]

Flash floods can happen with not even a cloud in sight. If you see mud start in a clear stream, get to higher ground.

[@chezchezchezchez]

But they CAN'T happen without WATER in sight.

[@blaydCA]

​@@chezchezchezchez Floods can start from miles and miles away. But you be you.

[@boblatkey7160]

Thanks Dad!

[@user-bl2zq4mb1t]

@@outlawbillionairez9780 how does that work? rain from another district swelling a river?

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

something about Western civilization being a joke and Mother Nature now taking revenge.

[@boblatkey7160]

"The desert is not formed by gradual erosion over time. It is formed by massive and extreme erosion events of short duration followed by long periods of quiet".

[@hikingphotog]

I lean towards the "a lot of water and a short amount of time" vs "a little water and a long time". These massive erosive events truly form most of the features we see today in large canyons.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Probably both

[@foxmulder7616]

It used to be ocean, from the sea of Cortez, to the Salton sea, to the great salt lake in Utah..

[@jimmoses6617]

It's not either/or, it's an "and". Depending on rainfall trends over past several million years, which have varied immensely.

[@SteveSmith-eb6ze]

@@boblatkey7160 Well said mr. scientist.

[@JohnPhilpott-q5k]

People living there understand that this happens every year but outsiders just can’t comprehend it

[@dontbugme7362]

Uh, this doesn’t happen every year.

[@JohnPhilpott-q5k]

@@dontbugme7362 yes it does. It may be a different area but anyone who lives there knows that you can get trapped anywhere even without a cloud in the sky

[@dontbugme7362]

@@JohnPhilpott-q5k No doubt every year somewhere in the Southwest desert there are going to be flash floods. I'm talking about this specific canyon.

[@alanbiancardi2531]

@@dontbugme7362 I live in the area and no it does not happen in the same canyon every year. But people need to be smarter and not do these hikes during our monsoon season. It is dumb and I have no sympathy for them.

[@himboslice_]

@@alanbiancardi2531 blame the reservation for giving out permits during monsoon season then. it’s a lottery to backpack there and you can’t always choose the date they give you

[@ohwhataday7171]

I’ve been to Supai, Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, and Mooney Falls three times. Gorgeous. Never in the summer and always checked the weather there and surrounded areas. It could be very nice clear skies there but you need to know the weather in surrounding areas that can affect the areas of the falls.

[@chrstfr]

I live in Pinetop-Lakeside. Yesterday starting at noon we got 2.25" of rain in 1.5 hrs and according to the lightning tracker app there were 10 lightning strikes within 200' of my house. I live at the crest of the road thankfully.

[@fishmonger6879]

Exactly, water runs downhill, maybe the rangers should have acted sooner.

[@alanbiancardi2531]

@@fishmonger6879 No maybe people should stop going during the summer. It is no ones fault except theirs.

[@fishmonger6879]

@@alanbiancardi2531 What are we paying the rangers for? Yes it was their fault for being born.

[@ericstandefer9138]

You showed more video of him with his hat then you did of the supposed remarkable videos he took which would have been nice to see.

[@DemPilafian]

He flunked out of journalism school or maybe he just upgraded from a flip phone last week.

[@spikespa5208]

His 2 minutes of social media fame, makin' the most of it.

[@thedrivingface]

I was the guy with the bucket. The guy filming stopped in the middle of the trail to take videos while people piled up behind him.

[@ericstandefer9138]

@@thedrivingface ok. Glad you got out, still looks like he got some great footage. Hope he posts it.

[@steveberkson3873]

Former guide here. Participated in a wedding at Havasu Falls early ‘70s,hiked in and out(a story in itself) ..also experienced a cloud burst in the Inner Gorge in the ‘70s,waterfalls on every level up to the rim. Flash floods mold the desert. Glad nobody was hurt in this one. 😉

[@jns51408]

Who says nobody was hurt? There is still a missing person and it's been 3 days

[@MajorAddiction]

A lady from Arizona died

[@dontbugme7362]

Didn’t that one shot look like it was Mooney Falls? I’ve hiked and camped there 2x but it was 40 some odd years ago in Scouts.

[@joyogilvie3639]

A Gilbert AZ woman was swept away but her husband was recued. She is still unaccounted for.

[@1991DodgeShadow]

@@joyogilvie3639 she's most likely dead

[@jeffreydkeller2792]

he's been planning it for years; he doesn't even have to go to prison for that

[@deadcarz4926]

@@jeffreydkeller2792 I took my ex to the Grand Canyon three times, before the conditions were perfect.

[@MelissaWilliams74802]

Thank you her name is Chenoa ❤

[@jns51408]

@@deadcarz4926 this is why no one loves you and why you feel the need to project misery. Go be miserable somewhere else

[@lynncollver6067]

Wow 😮ty for sharing this

[@charisseellsworth1310]

The exact same happened to me in the 70's after swimming in Havasu falls. My dog and I almost drowned. Water falls coming off of the cliffs everywhere. I fell asleep on a high boulder and woke up in the night to silence and a sky full of fabulous stars. It was truly epic. This happened when I was hitch hicking back to California after attending the first Rainbow Festival in 1972. (I think)..

[@charlesbuchanan697]

😂LAKE HAVE A FEW

[@jamesmayo35]

My brother went to that festival. He hitchhiked from South Carolina to California and back. Was gone for an entire year. Your trip sounds amazing.

[@charisseellsworth1310]

@jamesmayo35 very cool.. thanks for the reply!

[@wannabetowasabe]

I was down in the canyon in October of 1972 when a super strong thunderstorm system hit. Sounds like we may have been there at the same time. We camped just outside the village after spending the day out of the rain and inside a tribal office. We had to cross Havasu Creek with water up to our armpits. This on a Monday. We missed our Monday classes at Northern Arizona University. The storm hit about 9-10 a.m. on Sunday. It was hard walking through the village as the roads were flooded in many locations. It rained hard up to about dinner time on Sunday. The canyon with the trail in it was greatly changed by the flooding, a couple of house sized rocks fell down from the cliffs above and landed on the bottom of the wash.

[@charisseellsworth1310]

@@wannabetowasabe it's an amazing experience. I won't forget it for life times.. thanks for sharing!

[@moretoliving2236]

This has to suck. Getting a pass to go there is quite difficult. Hiking/muling/helicopter to there is expensive or difficult and then after all that effort you can't even enjoy the place. To my best knowledge there are no refunds and rainchecks either.

[@thedrivingface]

We also had to pay to leave. We were stranded. The only way was to pay the reservation to airlift out. Hiking out was shut down. The only time the government aircraft showed up was after the reservation aircraft were done flying people out.

[@whitnye]

Yep. I was there too. The entire thing was absolute chaos. Thank god for that Saab and Trish girl for taking over and making some kind of plan. REI has reached out to me about educating and advocating for future hikers there, and I truly feel like some things need to be changed. I also want to address the strangled burned and mutilated dog we saw on the trail on the hike in.. that place is terrifying and I am so grate I saw all five falls the two days prior because I’ll never go back

[@stevemoore3951]

@@whitnye I’ve been there also and was lucky enough to have relatively trouble free trip. Seeing that dog must have been awful, we saw plenty that were obvious strays but none that looked tortured. I understand why you won’t go back. It seems like there could be some kind of audible warning system in place to give people some kind of warning that a flash flood is coming. Sort of like the ones used for tornado warnings. Possibly triggered by water flow and height at various points upstream. I’m glad you got out okay and hoping the missing lady from Gilbert is found 🙏🏻

[@Shyblues]

@whitnye How sad 😔 Did you report that?

[@Alex.Jensen]

The Arizona monsoon can at times be very powerful. Thunderstorms build over higher mountains and dump torrents of rain into washes and creek beds and it all comes raging down.

[@JeffreyBrown-f4e]

They call that 'flash flooding.'

[@marklanza5023]

It’s still a blessing for water

[@davidhobbs5421]

It's a brief and miniscule glimpse at how the entire canyon system has been formed across the ages. My first trip to Havasu was in 1967. I have been there a number of times and it is somewhat physically different every time because of these events.

[@dianawells3966]

As a Geology student at UofA decades ago, we never went anywhere alone in our hiking or camping trips. Monsoon Season is to be taken seriously!

[@theyrekrnations8990]

Been there!! It is def memorable, when I went there in 1997, they had just had a huge flood that actually trashed out the beauty of the place. Meaning primarily the main falls, Havasu. Regardless, it is a remote and beautiful place .

[@DavidEVogel]

Yes. There are two types of desert flooding. One is a monsoon that gives little warning. The other is spring snow melt.

[@chrismiller643]

My cousin was caught in this and stranded. Luckily she was air lifted out last night! Nature is a humbling thing!

[@huh4233]

Wait till she gets the bill for a ride.

[@alanbiancardi2531]

Has she decided to start using common sense now?

[@chrismiller643]

@@alanbiancardi2531 of course not! No fun in that

[@leannmueller7804]

I’ve been at Lake Powell watching the waterfalls come over the cliff at our houseboat pretty scary

[@jns51408]

The kids from the tribe were stuck on the other side of the ranging flood and couldn't come across. Tribe members opened their places and offered resources to the tourists while their own familes and belongings at risk. Yet, the tourists are complaining and show how entitled they are. We should help out the natives there in some way. Some lost their homes and everything.

[@hikingphotog]

The tribe needs to help the people more than the tourists, if you knew how much money the tribe rakes in from allowing people in then you'd also question why most of that village looks so shanty-town. They have signs on the edge of the village that says no videos or photos of the village for a reason. Until you see it for yourself and do the math yourself, you won't understand the problem. Not to mention most natives that live on res get a stipend from the government on top of everything else that comes in (in some cases I could almost live like a king just from that stipend).

[@jns51408]

​@@hikingphotogthey get majority of the resources from helicopters flying in and out which is expensive. If you have never lived with natives and have never had native families, YOU will never understand. You sound like another entitled hiker. Instead of questioning their income and housing, question the US government why and what they did to the natives and why they continue to discriminate them. Did you know what happened at havusupai in 2018 with the dam? If you don't, you have nothing more to say and I'm not replying to your next comment. So good bye and have a nice day

[@lovinglife6080]

Oh my gosh prayers that everyone was ok thats so scary glad they were safe hes video is amazing but scary to

[@jaysoberanes125]

That was awesome. Nature at it finest. Wish I could have been there to see that in person

[@Lilalalalalallllla]

What a sweetie, God protect him and his family

[@ryanstocks8972]

Deadly but also beautiful in a way.

[@ReneeTelles]

SO BEAUTIFUL

[@paulinelozana600]

What part of Utah is this in? Rain caused this or dam break?

[@deemo5245]

Everybody is warned about flash flooding there

[@johnsommermeyer4649]

Every year this happens somewhere in the SW. No better ,no worse,just every year. Summer is a very dangerous time in canyon country, especially with the population growing like it is. Where two tourists would have been caught out here 30 years ago, now it's hundreds.

[@rlbrown1009]

So sad! So grateful they were safe 💕

[@Silk.With.An.E]

It’s difficult to explain to folks from other parts of the US that 2 to 3 inches of rain within a couple hours in most parts of Arizona is about a third of the rain we get in a whole YEAR. Usually that rain starts hours away and travels through the washes at breakneck speed. You won’t even know it is coming until it is already there.

[@anthonymartinez4307]

Wow that looks swollen. Amazing video.

[@ThoughtsonThoughtsandFeelings]

Flash flooding is so cool and also - like - impossible to imagine. I love footage like this.

[@Starfish2145]

They are not “park rangers”. They are members of the Havasupai Tribe.

[@whitnye]

Exactly, and they told us they posted rangers at trial heads before Mooney and beaver that morning telling people not to hike them which was not true and proven when 16 campers walked in, being the last ones to crawl out of beaver (alive at least) before the ladder was swept away… This was also after we were told all campers were accounted for…

[@danielavila5081]

It's monsoon season people should know by now...this isn't the first time this has happened and probably not the last.

[@somegirl5rock]

Remember, in the desert, even a tiny sprinkle can start a flash flood. Get out of any wash areas immediately.

[@nannerz1994]

When people make fun of Los Angeles when we get like a quarter inch of rain flash floods like this are why a quarter inch of rain spells disaster. It just doesn't soak into the ground It does stuff like this in about 10 minutes and a heavily populated city and it's terrifying

[@dontbugme7362]

I don’t think people realize how deep down the Grand Canyon this area actually is. You have to pack in 20 miles or so to get to Havasu Falls, maybe another 7-8 to get to Mooney and reservations must be made Long in advance and is limited. It’s very remote just getting to the trail head. You go there “when you can”. It’s not like this type of flood happens every day.

[@7phyton]

That doesn't sound right to me. I went there at age 12 or so with the YMCA and though, in those years, it was normal to plan huge hikes with 20 random kids, I recall Havasu as being not that much of a hike. No way it was 20 miles. But you're right, go there when you can and it will be fantastic. We had a massive plague of caterpillars for our stay there but with a bunch of rowdy boys on the loose, this was pretty fun with dares about eat one for a dollar and such. We had a blast. On another trip, we hiked North Rim to South Rim in a day, the whole entire group. THAT was a huge hike, for sure.

[@jessicabixler1658]

Geologist who taught hubs collehe class said he was hiking with a group in a gorge prone to flooding. Found a finger. Once rocks get involved with water is it like bad. Think blender....dont risk it...run.

[@susankelly5516]

💔🙏💔so tragic..praying the missing woman

[@SteveSmith-eb6ze]

Hopefully no one was hurt? Glad to see the area get some water.

[@pastrie42]

Why do they have a guy "live" in the dark by a freeway? ROFL. This reminds me of a daily show correspondent.

[@BenNSyder]

Al Joker?

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

Why do the talking heads behind the desk need to introduce the story? They always say the first 2 or 3 lines the location reporter says, and they serve no purpose but vanity. I wish local news was produced like it was the 21st Century.

[@garyspence2128]

That did look like it could have been made back in the 1960's or 70's, seemed authentic and quaint. Back when you trusted your local news reporters, and even the national media. Not that those people never lied to you about public issues. Don't call it lying, more like not telling you everything you need to know...as a citizen.

[@BenNSyder]

I love the 2 anchors being forced to share one sentence from a teleprompter as if its a duet.

[@Chap17]

Unbelievable , stay safe

[@jazzmongrel]

WHy is your text thing blocking the good part of the video?

[@mountainstream8351]

Hence why the natives built their homes up high in the cliffs.

[@horacio-ho3bf]

The Havasupai did not build permanent homes in the cliffs....in fact, they only lived there in the summer to raise crops....I have been there several times, and was there during a similar flash flood....luckily, after 4 days of perfect weather

[@robynrains7252]

The native people were more in tune with the natural environment 🤔 so fascinating

[@leticiasanchez2861]

Well clearly nature is beautiful but we need to respect it and you know who's using this water anyways, we all know that that water lands up in Phoenix I'll tell you down the canal I'm sure and we're sorry but that happened to everybody but you know you gotta watch that weather the storms this is monsoon here and monsoon means exactly what it is. That rain comes on quick and you got it. You have to be ready and being out hiking. Usually it's not the best, especially in that area though it is beautiful but we have to be ready

[@shirleyackerman-bethel1073]

It is sad but this time of the year the monsoons are hard to predict. Wish ppl would read and believe these storms can hit across the street but not your home. Secondly my son was visiting from Chicago and ran into a downpour, he said “I’ve been in bad storms but your storms are like nothing I’ve ever seen.” Take the warnings and weather seriously from June 15 to September 15. Welcome to Arizona

[@Silk.With.An.E]

@@shirleyackerman-bethel1073 Yea verily!☝️

[@opticalartist]

You can not have a grand canyon without water causing erosion.

[@lifeofreilly9943]

Do not ever mess with the desert…If rain is coming, get out! Mother Nature takes no prisoners and she comes in with a vengeance.Indescribably beautiful though from a safe vantage point.

[@AZevahh]

I hope the people who live there are ok.

[@johnl.geibel2373]

Looks like a scout camp I went to once long ago before rescues were expected.

[@keefsmiff]

Surely ,the clue is in the place name, its like people living in "River rd " or "Pond lane" being surprised when it floods

[@philwhipple4557]

Why did they need to be flown out? Why couldn't they just wait a few hours until the flood stopped?

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

The flooding washed out the trail in several spots. No other way out until the trail is fixed.

[@thedrivingface]

We wanted to hike out. They wouldn’t let us. It was either pay to get out or stay another night without all our belongings.

[@quester09]

stay safe out there

[@willcox4561]

Who would have guessed that heavy rain in the desert would cause such flooding?

[@carolwright620]

Wow not what we have ever seen camping there

[@CASE_of_ÆrTh]

Chocolate Waterfall? Usually that's a bathroom punchline, 😂

[@deadcarz4926]

Both will change your plans for the day.

[@danielavila5081]

Looks more like something Willie Wonka would make...

[@spikespa5208]

Loo humor......... .

[@CASE_of_ÆrTh]

@@spikespa5208 simple, butt effective.

[@spikespa5208]

@@CASE_of_ÆrTh Puns. Luv 'em.

[@SuperChadster]

That's the danger in Zion and Bryce.

[@Delfin2024-x7g]

You did not chek wheater before?

[@alanbiancardi2531]

Try using spell check.

[@Delfin2024-x7g]

@@alanbiancardi2531 ok loser

[@BenNSyder]

"Weather" is taught in 3rd grade. "Check" is taught in 2nd.

[@darylb5564]

Is there something in place to explain to people what monsoon season means?

[@tiandi5585]

"it comes higher humidity, which can lead to thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning, hail, high winds, flash flooding, dust storms and extreme heat" Simply put, it gets a lot more stormy, and in this case, there was a flash flood.

[@direbearcoat7551]

Someone should go back and photograph the entire area, to make a before and after comparison. The idea would be to see how much geological change took place from that one flooding event. Then we could scratch our heads about how geologist insist that it takes millions of years for that amount of change to happen...

[@Starfish2145]

Never hike in canyons in the Southwest in Monsoon season

[@deadbrother5355]

Just check the weather. You'll be fine.

[@lifeofreilly9943]

100%

[@waverunner716]

Gully washer sounds a bit mild out there in the desert

[@missbell247]

Can’t pay me enough to be there now. 🤦🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️

[@ryshellso526]

@@missbell247 you weren't invited anyway.

[@missbell247]

@@ryshellso526 Don’t need to when it’s free. 🤷🏿‍♀️🤦🏿‍♀️

[@994pt4]

It's pretty difficult to swim across those streams when the water is higher. Most people probably shouldn't try.

[@patriciaschuster1371]

Glad they are safe@

[@truth-or-nothing]

Thus, the time of the season is monsoon. Why do people ignore this time of year, especially in this area, stupidity at its finest 🙄

[@suekittle4802]

Amazing!

[@anthonymartinez4307]

And people have a two year waiting period ~ no thanks a lot can happen in between. Looks like people are not aware of the dangers that can spontaneously just happen. Always have an escape route for higher ground.

[@robertg-g2l]

Wow, how did they survive that, and without survival training, amazing!

[@knine8154]

These people are the reason for ludicrous "safety" labels on products, aka tic toc challenge people.

[@cointenderrarities933]

Who would of thought it would FLOOD in the plains of mountainous terrain!😂😂

[@MelissaWilliams74802]

Chenoa is still missing !!!

[@Prevailingbucket]

Refund available?

[@alanbiancardi2531]

For what? Those people being stupid

[@JuanRodriguez-qr3yq]

Beautiful

[@daviddiehl-gy2sq]

Take note, they are not required to save you.

[@paulinelozana600]

Does this help native Americans there get water?

[@jenme7926]

Crazy how fast mother nature can get serious.

[@user-vr9su5nd9f]

was there on a better day

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

What a shame hey can’t impound all that water for the dry times.

[@Ben-wm9qn]

That would be a hard choice. Free helicopter ride or stay for the flood. Helicopter? I think I'd stay for the show. That's hard to pick.

[@deborahdillmore7347]

Why does it take 3 news people to tell a 2 minute story. I rarely bother with msm because of that

[@shannonalaminski2619]

They went to see the falls? They got to see the falls. Be careful what you wish for.

[@whitnye]

I was probably the last human to see 50 foot for months maybe years to come. Had we stayed 20 minutes longer we’d be dead.

[@cindyhurd5488]

This is a desert flood isnt it?

[@birdlynn417]

Who would have thought?

[@geriannroth449]

Unbelievable

[@zcvxs]

It hardly rains in a.z.

[@danielavila5081]

But when it does

[@kh3612]

@@zcvxs Except during the monsoon season!

[@stevecobb2592]

So very glad the National Guard was there to save lives . But where n the DC were they on January 6th 2021 when the great patriots needed them to save a nation that may be lost by now

[@todddavid3695]

Flash flooding? In Arizona? DUH?

[@steven4315]

Monsoon season.

[@todddavid3695]

@@steven4315 I know. I used to live there, and in New Mexico.

[@nishali3343]

this guy was wearing sandals!

[@فرهادزمانیبالاجاده]

❤❤MR30 MR30 MR30 ❤TNKIUO ❤

[@KTPurdy]

extreme indeed

[@paulinelozana600]

South Africa suffers from this flooding and every year women rebuild their mud homes.

[@raxxtango]

are the the tour guides who should have known better going to compensate the national Guard for helo flight time?

[@Henry_Churches]

I have a permit to make this hike in about 3.5 weeks…who thinks the reservation will be back open by then?

[@PhotoAmbrosia]

Havasupi Falls

[@raymondsullivan7230]

Looks like a lot of water to me Raymond Paul Sullivan III me myself and I and him

[@moemonkee9399]

Wow

[@DennisSmith-dq6iu]

This happens every year

[@davidOConnor-z3l]

In two more months state officials will declare a severe decade long Draught .