Gov. Katie Hobbs deployed the Arizona National Guard on Friday evening in response to flooding at the Havasupai Indian Reservation, while Grand Canyon officials search for a woman swept away by the waters of Havasu Creek.
Evacuation efforts are in progress in Supai Village, with the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs coordinating alongside tribal, county, state, and federal agencies, according to a press release from Hobbs' office. A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is being used for the evacuations, the release noted.
The impacted area is home to Havasu Falls.
"My heart is with all of the people impacted by the flooding in Havasupai, including Tribal members and visitors to the area. I am closely monitoring the situation and we have deployed the Arizona National Guard to get people to safety," read a statement by Hobbs. "The safety and security of Arizonans and all those who visit our state is always my top concern, and I’ll continue working closely with leaders on the ground to protect the Havasupai community."
The state's emergency operations center is at a Level 2, according to Hobbs' office.
Excessive flooding moved the Havasupai Tribal Council to close Supai through Sunday to visitors including those with reservations, according to a Thursday post by the tribe's tourism page on Facebook. The tribe opened the Havasu Falls and Supai Village in February 2023 after years of being closed to visitors following COVID-19.
"The Council is actively engaged in safely evacuating those tourists that were in Supai at the time of the flooding. We kindly ask for your patience as we see to the health and safety of the tourists and the Tribal members," read a subsequent Facebook post on the page .
Chenoa Nickerson, a 33-year-old resident of Gilbert, went missing around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday during flash flooding approximately half a mile above the Colorado River, according to the National Park Service. It was noted that she was not wearing a life jacket at the time.
Nickerson is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the park service at 888-653-0009. As of Saturday morning, park officials had not provided The Arizona Republic with an update on her disappearance.
Multiple hikers stranded by the flash flood were rescued after a Thursday afternoon search and rescue mission, the parks service noted.
Search on: Gilbert woman swept away in flash flood at Grand Canyon
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona National Guard mounts rescue operation in Havasupai reservation flooding
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