The Havasupai Flash Flood of 2008 – Tawnya's story
We went into the canyon on Thursday, the 14th and spent 3 wonderful days there enjoying the beautiful falls, cold water and lighthearted company of the 100’s of other campers who there for the same reason we were – adventure!
On Saturday evening around 5:00, two Natives came through with walkie-talkies telling us that there was a flood expected to come down the river that evening and to be alert. We had set up camp (one tent and two hammocks) in the wash where the rising river water flows over into. We asked the man if we were ok where we were and he said we were fine and just be aware.
Around 6:00, a girl & boy native ran through the campgrounds yelling that the flood waters were coming but didn’t stop to give anyone any specific directions or answers. So, we all pretty much kept doing what we were doing.
Around 6:30, a BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) officers came through on a 4-wheeler and said that there was definitely a flood coming, the water was expected to rise 4 feet and that the warning was in effect till 10:00 PM. We asked him (again) if our camp was safe since we were at the top edge of the wash and we also said we were fine. He then went down the trail to talk to campers on the other side of the wash.
John, Aaryn and I headed up to Havasu Falls (the middle fall) to see if anything had happened yet. When we got there, we could see flood water running in from a dry canyon that branches off to the left of the basin. It was awesome to sit and watch the two waters (the beautiful blue/green waters of the falls and the muddy flood water from the canyon) mix at the bottom of the Havasu pools. We sat up there for over an hour, waiting to see if we could see more flood water come over the Falls. We were watching for the “chocolate water” as Jackson calls it.
After an hour, up there and nothing happening, we figured that was the extent of it and headed back to camp. The water level had risen maybe 6 inches and was still contained in the river banks. We had dinner, played cards with our camp neighbors, Daniel and Sheri, and I turned around 9 with John and Aaryn heading to bed around 10.
Shortly after midnight, I awoke to the sound of raging water outside my tent. I opened the flap and saw John & Aaryn working frantically to get John’s hammock down from the trees and they were standing in calf-deep water. I jumped up and within 5 minutes had my tent on higher ground and emptied, the packs out of the trees (where they had been hung to protect them from the food-scavenging squirrels), and cleared our 2 picnic tables. Aaryn got his hammock down too and we were all out of the wash by the time the picnic tables went under water. John lost his Keen sandals since they had been under his hammock and the tent was washed up against a tree but we were able to wade over and grab it.
The water level finally topped out and maintained its level for over an hour. We felt we had seen the big surge and were ok to re-pack our bags and relax a little. We went exploring, back up to Havasu Falls and watched the incredible force and power of a flood crash over the falls. The water spray and waves of water crashing into the basin were almost as high as the falls themselves. It was AWESOME!! After exploring for about an hour, we headed back to our gear to see what was happening. A group of 5 campers had been separated. Two of them were on our side of the river and the other three were on other side of river. We could hear them shouting to each other but nothing could be done to get to them. We also saw head lamps on the rocks across the wash from us – more people trapped but again, we couldn’t help them. But, we thought they weren’t really in any danger since the waters had maintained their level for over two hours. Around 2:15 AM, we figured that we should get some sleep so we found some picnic tables to sleep on. John found an abandoned tent with an inflatable mattress and feather pillows in it so we crawled it. We were SO comfortable…for 10 minutes. Then, Benny and the gang of “Rescue 1” showed up!
Benny was a “professional tour guide who has 20 years of experience in these types of matters” and had appointed himself the leader of the flood victims. He and his crew went around giving everyone a number so that we could all be accounted for when the flood was over – but he had 6 people helping him so, I received the same number Daniel did! So, that idea really didn’t help much. Benny was sending people through the camp telling us all that more water was coming and that all needed to move to higher grounds up by the mule corrals. This information was true – however, he was also telling everyone to just get up and go and leave their gear and several campsites were abandoned leaving behind thousands of dollars worth of gear, which was all eventually (3 hours later) swept away. We had time…. We left our wet tent behind because it was soaking wet and muddy…and had only cost us $2 at a yard sale!
By 3:30, we were all moved completely out of the campgrounds and up above Havasu Falls to the cemetery. That was the first time we saw a native with a radio that seemed to have any real information at all. At first, we were told it was sacred ground and that we couldn’t go in but had to sleep on the trail in front of it. Suddenly, within minutes, we were ordered into the cemetery because another, larger surge of water was coming. We were told we’d be safe there since it had never flooded. We all spread out and tried to get comfortable but there were over 200 of us in a little clearing in a cemetery, in the dark, in a flood…it wasn’t easy to relax! By 4:30, John & I tried to sleep on the ground but could hear the water getting louder and louder. Aaryn went and sat on a big rock watching the water. John & I could feel the rumbling of the water in the ground with sporadic bursts of force and loud cracks like thunder as large trees were being snapped in half. Aaryn said he could see the trees coming down the river and snapping as they were broken like toothpicks on boulders. John said he estimated that Havasu Falls was at least 10 feet lower than what it used to be because of all the erosion the debris and water were causing.
Finally at dawn, around 5:15, we were told to pack up because we needed to evacuate to the Village. We were shown a secret tribal path that had us rock climbing a cliff face through a tiny crevice. Some of the “Rescue 1” guys were in the crevice helping us through the treacherous parts and there was a rope there as well to help us. Those guys were actually very helpful. Benny…not so much. He had good intentions but because of his uninformed announcements and actions, several people lost all their gear. One couple I talked to had just gone to REI on Friday night and spent over $1000 on gear and it was all gone. Benny had ordered them to leave it at the campgrounds and run.
Once we were on the cliff and truly out of the floods path, we could view what had happened. The hiking path that ran along the cemetery was washed away, the two foot bridges crossing the stream were washed away and the “stream” was now a 30 foot wide raging river. The force of the water could be felt even from way up where we were.
Some people hiked around one of the cliffs we were on and could see Havasu Falls (John was one) and he said the basin was completely filled with trees and debris.
The hike to the Village was cool. The path was across the tops of the cliffs and the views were beautiful. We hiked back behind Navajo Falls (the top one) and through people’s back yards to finally end up at the Village around 8:30. We were some of the last people to get there.
We were quickly told that more flood water was coming and EVERYONE (Villagers too) needed to be evacuated by noon. The rumors circled that 8 Blackhawk choppers were coming to get us (which thrilled John to NO end!). We signed up for our chopper ride and were on page 3 over at least 9 sheets (each sheet held about 30 names = at least 270 campers).
During the morning, we continued to hear conflicting information. The dam had broke; it hadn’t broke. We were in imminent danger; we were fine. We were leaving ASAP…but no evacuation choppers showed up till after noon. The Search & Rescue choppers started running around 10 and by the end of the day had rescued over 60 people who had been stuck below the wash. They first used a mesh bag with a pallet placed in the bottom to pluck people off of rocks and cliff ledges and dropped them at the cemetery. Then a separate chopper brought some of them to the Village. One girl and two guys (the ones who had been separated from the group at midnight) said they clung to a tree in chest deep water for over 8 hours and had only their PJ’s on (no shoes). Her legs were pretty well beaten from the all debris in the water and they made those three HIKE to the Village.
At noon, they told us that finally we would begin evacuation and needed to move to different landing field since the Blackhawks were bigger. This one was in the sun and all dirt. The chopper sign up was thrown out the window and it was every man for himself. We ended up at the end of the line but hung up Aaryn’s hammock tarp and hung out in its shade until the first chopper arrived at 1:45. When the Blackhawk landed, we were sprayed with dirt and with being all sweaty…well, it was gross. They told us to move back behind a wash wall and again, the line was thrown out and people from the back ran to the front. After about the third landing, they finally brought out a fire hose and tried to keep the ground pretty damp after that.
Most of us had no food left because we had either lost it in the flood, eaten it while camping, or given it others as they were dropped off of the rescue choppers (that’s what we did). The only options for food were the Village’s restaurant or store. I hit the store around 4:00 and paid $13 for a bag of Doritos and can of honey roasted peanuts to snack on. The restaurant was even more expensive than that.
By 5:30, they had taken about 130 campers out leaving about that many still sitting around. They delivered water bottles and Gatorade to us. Several Villagers started showing up with bags packed and we wondered what was going on. At 6:00, they stopped carrying hikers out and evacuated about 85 Villagers instead. We all wondered what was going on but were never told anything. By 7:00, they told us to move from one single file line into four single file lines and bunched us into a small clearing that was dirt and manure and right next to a trash dumpster that was overflowing with garbage. At 7:30, after about 30 more people were flown out, they announced that that was the last chopper of the night and we were to stay the night and choppers would start again at daybreak.
At this point, the pretty light-hearted, excited, adventurous & understanding spirit that we all had went out the window. People began asking reasonable questions, like, “Is there still more flood water coming?” to which we were told, “There is no imminent danger that we know of right now.” To which, we all responded, “Then why did the Villagers get out before us?” and there was no answer. Someone asked, “What do we do if the flood does come?” Response – “We will deal with that when we have to.” Then someone asked, “Exactly what time are the choppers going to run in the morning? Will there be an order for us to board that chopper (will those of us in front get to be back in front?)” and they simply said, “Day break.” Several more pretty rational questions about why we were still there, what to expect, and what was happening were asked and we were given no real answers. They simply said that we were to report to the community center where we would be provided dinner, supplies, showers, etc so we could bed down for the night.
We went to the community center where we could either sleep in a small gym or outside under the gorgeous night sky. We chose outside since we had really been robbed of our last night of camping due to the flood. It was a perfect night for sleeping under the stars. There were no showers but some of us managed to take sponge baths in bathroom sinks. Our dinner consisted of stale hamburger buns, warm cheese, ham, Lays chips, Gatorade and water. They were very quick about getting it out to us and the gentleman in the store was very understanding about providing us with things that we needed – toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, ice for swollen ankles, etc free of charge. But that wasn’t the case the next morning when we were back to paying $8 for a loaf of bread and small jar of Goober peanut butter & jelly.
Everyone was in a pretty good mood once we had eaten and enjoyed sharing their many stories about their various adventures. We joked about holding a talent show and the winner got to be first in line for the chopper. Our night’s sleep was great (we were pretty tired), except for John who was almost stepped on by a stray horse that was chased through the playground we were in by a wild dog! We think the dog even peed on his blanket.
At dawn, most everybody grabbed their packs and headed to the landing site. The five of us laid there and laughed knowing that we weren’t going anywhere any time soon. We stopped some Hualapai officers and they said they had been down the hiking trail around 2 AM and the devastation was unbelievable. We asked if we could go see and they said yes so we jumped up, bought some donuts, Diet Cokes and Gatorades and one more disposable camera and headed back down the path.
That hike was the most amazing and awe-striking part of the whole experience for me, second maybe only to actually seeing the flood waters rage past the cemetery. At first, it was pretty much the same. But about a mile in, you started seeing signs of where the water had been. Giant boulders were toppled out of place, trees where laying on their sides and parts of the trail were cracked and sagging. Suddenly, John jumped off the path and yelled, “Oh my gosh!” We ran after him and came across the most amazing sight. Where there had once been a pleasant little stream was now a 100 foot wide and deep canyon with a new 30 foot high waterfall at the top of it. That water running over that fall was what used to feed Navajo Falls. As we hiked further down, we saw that Navajo Falls, my favorite of the 3, was almost completely dried up. What a loss. The new canyon was overwhelming. We hiked all the way back to the cemetery and were just in amazement at the damage.
Havasupai will never look the same.
We hiked back out and were actually starting to worry that we may be close to being left behind. We tried to hurry but my hip was killing me. We finally passed some Mohave Sheriffs and asked them what time it was and how the evacuations were going. They informed us it was 8:45 and evacs wouldn’t even start till 9:00. We were caught off guard – but not really surprised.
So we just headed back to where we had slept and played Skip-Bo and joked about the little things that had happened. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever laughed as hard as I did in that 37 hour period (from midnight when the flood started to when we left Monday at 1:00 PM) in my life. Daniel & Sheri really fit with our personalities and are funnier than heck. It actually made being stuck there one more night worthwhile.
We started hearing from people who had talked to their families that the flood was all over the news; they had even interrupted the Olympics to broadcast the flood. It was also well noted that the news said we all had “volunteered” to stay down there. HA! We would have – if they had asked – or even talked to us at all. All we got was a, “Sorry, no more choppers…go eat some warm cheese.” Oh well.
Anyway, we had a very relaxing morning, playing and laughing and eating $8 PB&J sandwiches on bread that tasted strangely like tuna. A native man came into the playground where we were and was working really hard at cleaning up all the trash that had been left out the night before (there was a lot). We all commented on how nice it was to see someone in the village working and picking up trash. I went and helped him and about 5 minutes later, he sat down on a short wall by us in the shade to rest. John asked him how he was doing and he said, “Not good. Working alone.” So, I suggested that he make an announcement and ask everyone to get one garbage bag and fill it up and all the work would be done in 5 minutes and he said to me, “Everyone is lazy – like you.” I was amazed…I was the only who HAD helped him. But really, that was the attitude most of them in the Village had towards us the whole time. It was pretty frustrating. Our friend Sheri was walking through the Village a few hours later and two natives walked by and said, “All you campers need to just get out of here.” Great idea…why didn’t we think of that??
Finally around 12:00, we made our way back to the landing field because 2 Blackhawks, 2 Search & Rescue and one Forest Service had been running very steadily since about 10:00 (what happened to day break??). The crowd was finally down to about 50 people and we were told to be ready to load. John was working his charm with the officers to make sure he got on a Blackhawk and not one of the other choppers. That thought had been his “Happy Place” all night. The 4th to last chopper load was on a Blackhawk and they needed one more person so we all shoved John out and he sprinted off with the biggest grin on his face I have ever seen. I took the next chopper and Aaryn, Daniel and Sheri were on the second to last chopper.
They landed us at a place called Bar 4 and had the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and several Search & Rescue agencies set up there to feed us, interview us, document who we were and who was in our party. I must say, once they started moving on Monday, it was a very quick and smooth operation. I contribute it to the Grand Canyon Flight Crew being the ones running the loading of the choppers in the canyon (they had been rescuing 16 stranded rafters on Sunday) and that Search & Rescue was running the show at the Command Center by then, not the Tribe. Had they been there on Sunday, we would have all been out by that night. They evacuated as many people in 2 hours as they had moved the day before in 6. On Sunday, the Blackhawks had to take an hour long refueling break and no other choppers were sent in to keep the evac going.
We were very blessed to be safe throughout the whole experience. It was amazing, overwhelming, humbling, eye-opening, etc, etc, etc. There are no words (or pictures) to really describe what the experience was like. We were witness to Mother Nature cleaning house with a force I never seen the likes of. We were there on the last day of the old Havasupai and on the first day of the new Havasupai. We were part of history in a place that has been there for thousands of years. I was never really concerned for our safety since we were on the safe side of the wash and the Spirit continually comforted me that we would be fine and so would all those who were there. As I listened to the stories of those who had been stranded, I was grateful they were safe and that I had not been in their shoes. I was also extremely grateful my kids had not been there. There were a few families there with small kids, even one family with a 10 month old baby girl named Shanna. Luckily, they had spent Saturday night in the Lodge in the Village. Thank goodness. I was worried about them all night. It’s been interesting to return home and still have this feeling of “cosmic smallness”…to realize my little life and little house and so small in comparison with what God has created and the power He has. I also feel so much more blessed for all that I have and the loved ones who surround me. We all had several messages and texts from people wanting to make sure we were ok. Thank you for caring about us.
I had planned on telling you all the things the Tribe did to drop the ball in this situation but I don’t feel like it anymore. I think that in the end, we all got safe so it was a success. There were things that could have been done better and I think they definitely should put a better emergency plan in place for the next time this happens. They live in a canyon – it WILL happen again and they need to be ready to jump when it does.
I am just grateful I was there and that I am still around to share my story. Hope you all enjoyed it and the pics. Be grateful…always.
