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Flash Flood Kills One, Injures Others At Grand Canyon National Park

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Published Date

July 16, 2021

Tatahatso, near River Mile 38, during a flash flood event in July 2018/NPS, M. Jenkins

One person was killed and others injured when a flash flood swept through a river runner's camp along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, according to park staff.

The flood, trigged Wednesday by monsoonal rains that sent storm water surging down through the high country and pouring into Tatahatso Camp near River Mile 38, swept two individuals from the camp.

Grand Canyon Search and Rescue sent two paramedics to the scene to assess and treat patients. Active monsoonal weather in the area limited access to the scene for overnight search and rescue operations. 

At approximately 2:30 a.m. Thursday, one patient who was in critical condition was flown out via Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter from the area. Four additional patients were evacuated by air on July 15 to the Flagstaff Medical Center; they were in stable condition at this time, the park reported.

At approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report that a commercial river trip had located the two missing individuals near Tatahatso Camp, one deceased and one uninjured. The deceased was identified as Rebecca Copeland, 29, of Ann Arbor Michigan.  

Flash floods are common in the desert Southwest, including northern Arizona. This is because the arid, sparsely vegetated environments found in these areas have little capacity to absorb rainfall.

The resulting runoff moves rapidly through the narrow canyons and steep terrain found throughout the region. In many areas, even small storms can turn normally dry streambeds into raging torrents of water in a matter of minutes. Be alert for the possibility of flash flooding anytime that rainfall is forecast. For more information on weather dangers in Grand Canyon National Park visit: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-dangers.htm.  

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