SUPAI, Arizona – Search and rescue teams in Grand Canyon National Park searched for nearly two days for an Arizona woman after she was swept into a creek during a flash flood, the woman’s sister said on social media Saturday.
Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert was hiking in Havasu Creek, about a half-mile from the mouth of the Colorado River, when the flash flood struck early Thursday afternoon.
The National Park Service said the 33-year-old had spent the night at a campground near the village of Supai in the Havasupai Reservation, deep in a gorge of the Grand Canyon.
The flood has trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of several normally blue-green waterfalls that attract tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation. The area is prone to flooding, which turns the famous falls chocolate brown.
Other hikers reached the village, about two miles from the campground, where they waited for helicopter rides. Governor Katie Hobbs has activated the Arizona National Guard, including Blackhawk helicopters, to help evacuate hikers from the village.
Tamara Morales, the missing hiker’s sister, noted the National Guard’s efforts and praised National Park Service rescue teams for “navigating incredibly dangerous terrain with extremely limited communications and leaving no stone unturned.”
“We are deeply grateful to you and fully recognize that you are currently challenging the impossible,” Morales said on Facebook.
The Havasupai tribe’s reservation is one of the most remote in the Americas and is accessible only by foot, mule or helicopter. The tribal council closed the steep, winding trail leading to the reservation after the flooding and asked visitors with permits not to come until Sunday.
Rochelle Tilousi, a member of the Havasupai tribe in the Grand Canyon area, said helicopter evacuations began after bridges were washed away and rescue workers scattered amid a series of massive waterfalls.
“I know our tourism office, some local men, first responders … are all walking toward Mooney Falls and the Colorado River and doing checks as well,” she said.
Morales posted a photo of her sister smiling at the base of a steep desert river canyon, wearing the workout clothes she was wearing at the time of her disappearance and what appears to be an electronic watch or fitness device on her wrist.
The National Park Service deployed motorized boats on the Colorado River below Havasu Creek and the floodwaters that swept Nickerson away. Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Joelle Baird said search and rescue efforts also included ground teams and air patrols.
Abbie Fink, a spokeswoman for the Havasupai tribe, said flooding had extended to the tribal village and it was impossible to immediately assess the extent of damage to streamside campsites because a connecting trail was impassable.
On Saturday, helicopters resumed the gradual evacuation of about 60 tourists. When the hikers emerged, they posted pictures of raging floodwaters and a washed-away footbridge.
Reservations for visitors are suspended until Sunday, Fink added.
“We ask for your patience as we ensure the health and safety of tourists and tribal members,” the tribe’s tourism department said on Facebook.
