Search crews at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona continued their efforts on Sunday to locate Chenoa Nickerson, a 33-year-old woman who went missing after being swept into Havasu Creek by a flash flood on Thursday. Despite the search operations by air, ground, and motorized boats focused on the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, Nickerson has not been found. She was hiking approximately 800 meters from where Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River when the flash flood occurred and was not wearing a life jacket. Nickerson’s husband was safely evacuated along with over 100 other individuals who were in the area at the time of the flood.
Chenoa Nickerson, who hails from Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix, had stayed overnight at a campground near the village of Supai on the Havasupai reservation, within the Grand Canyon. The flood trapped several hikers above and below Beaver Falls, part of the series of renowned blue-green waterfalls that attract tourists to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation, known for its occasional flooding that alters the waterfalls’ appearance to a chocolate brown hue. Some hikers managed to reach the village, approximately 3.2 kilometers from the campground, where they awaited helicopter rescues.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs activated the Arizona National Guard, deploying Blackhawk helicopters to assist in evacuating stranded individuals near Havasupai Falls. Since Thursday, an estimated 104 tribal members and tourists have been rescued as floodwaters left them marooned in the area. The remote Havasupai reservation is among the most isolated in the continental U.S., accessible solely by foot, mule, or helicopter. Following the destruction of bridges by floodwaters and the need for rescues near towering waterfalls, helicopter evacuations began to ensure the safety of those stranded in the aftermath of the flash flood.