Search continues for woman missing after Colorado River flash flood at Grand Canyon National Park
SUPAI, Arizona — Search crews on Sunday again combed the Colorado River near Grand Canyon National Park for an Arizona woman who went missing days earlier after a flash flood.
Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was swept into Havasu Creek above the confluence of the Colorado River around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to National Park Service officials. She was not wearing a life jacket.
Nickerson, from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, was walking along Havasu Creek, about a half-mile from where the creek flows into the Colorado River, when the flash flood occurred.
Nickerson’s husband was among the more than 100 people who were safely evacuated.
“Chenoa Nickerson is still missing,” Nickerson’s sister, Tamara Morales, said on social media Sunday.
“Attempts to locate Chenoa through her Apple Watch have been unsuccessful,” Morales added. “DO NOT lose hope. She will be found.”
Park officials said the search Sunday by air, land and motorboat was focused on the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River.
Chenoa Nickerson spent the night at a campsite near the village of Supai on the Havasupai Reservation, deep in a gorge near the Grand Canyon.
The flooding trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of typically blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation. The area is prone to flooding that can iconic waterfalls chocolate brown.
Other hikers reached the village, about 2 miles from the campsite, where they waited for a helicopter flight.
Governor Katie Hobbs activated the Arizona National Guard, including Blackhawk helicopters, to assist in the evacuation of hikers from the village.
An estimated 104 tribal members and tourists have been evacuated since Thursday near Havasupai Falls because they were stranded by floodwaters, National Guard officials said.
The Havasupai Tribe Reservation is one of the most remote reservations in the continental United States, accessible only by foot, mule, or helicopter.
After bridges were washed away, helicopters began evacuating and rescue workers spread out among a series of towering waterfalls.