HAVASUPAI — Governor Katie Hobbs has activated the state's National Guard to help those in need due to flooding in Havasupai.
The Havasuapi Indian Reservation is in the Grand Canyon area and is home to many beautiful trails and waterfalls, including the popular Havasupai Falls.
The governor's actions come after flooding took place across the area from recent monsoon storms.
Hobbs deployed resources to rescue those impacted, including UH-60 Blackhawk air support for evacuation efforts.
National Guard officials say that evacuation efforts concluded around 1:30 p.m. Saturday with 104 tourists and tribal members being taken out of the canyon. Three resupply drop-offs of food and water were also made.
“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. 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," Hobbs wrote in a statement to ABC15.
One woman was unaccounted for after the flooding. 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson's body was found and recovered Sunday morning after days of searching.
Hobbs says the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs is coordinating with tribal, state, county, and federal agencies to support evacuation operations from the Supai Village at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The Havasupai Reservation drafted a hazard mitigation plan in 2022 that included repairing two USGS stream gauges and a weather station. It also included installing a warning system with a siren that can be heard throughout the tribe and possibly a secondary siren at the campground since there is little cell service within the canyon.
The Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) has coordinated state agency assistance, deployed Joint Task Force helicopters to assist with evacuations, and deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team to Supai village to support a rapid needs assessment, initial damage assessment, and coordinate additional recovery support as needed.
On Saturday, the National Parks Service announced that Havasupai will be closed to tourists until further notice due to extensive damage from the flooding.
ABC15 is monitoring the situation and will update this story with any new developments.
