Two men died and a third is missing following severe flash flooding at the Grand Canyon, which survivor Wieke De Boer described as a terrifying, minute-by-minute struggle for survival. The catastrophic wall of water, mud, and debris tore through the bottom of the canyon on Saturday, sweeping away nearly everything in its path. The floods, described as the worst in 60 years, were exacerbated by conditions left by the Dragon Bravo Fire, which had made large sections of the canyon vulnerable to mudslides.
Chiropractor John Giusti and martial artist Brent Rosenkranz, 42, were confirmed dead. Timothy Smith, 53, remains unaccounted for. De Boer, a 47-year-old University of Arizona math instructor, was camping at the Bright Angel Creek campground when the disaster struck.
De Boer, an experienced hiker who usually visits the Grand Canyon in winter, noted a flash-flood evacuation route map on a bulletin board prior to her hike, a detail she had not seen on previous trips. This prior knowledge, she said, proved crucial during the event.
Initially, De Boer welcomed the prospect of rain, hoping for cooler temperatures. Her first day passed uneventfully, but the situation rapidly changed on Saturday. While on a hike along the North Kaibab Trail, she encountered a severe monsoon storm with heavy lightning and hail. Observing water running over the trail and hearing Bright Angel Creek rapidly rising, she decided to turn back.
Upon returning to her campsite, De Boer noticed the creek had risen only about a foot and attempted to shelter in her tent. However, within hours, her tent was flooded, and the entire campground was submerged. Two park rangers arrived and urgently instructed her to evacuate to higher ground, giving her only five minutes to gather her belongings.
"That's when the wall of water came through," De Boer recounted, describing how she and others took shelter under a mule corral. "We were pointing out things that were floating down the river... Then eventually it was like, oh, there goes the whole bunkhouse and you could see their beds floating down."
The flash flood damaged 40 percent of the Transcanyon Waterline, a critical facility providing water to park facilities, and destroyed pedestrian bridges. After approximately two to three hours, the floodwaters began to recede, allowing for helicopter rescues.
Sixty-two people were airlifted from the trails on Saturday. De Boer and other survivors were evacuated to the South Rim, where they received assistance from the American Red Cross and local volunteers. Despite her harrowing experience, De Boer expressed gratitude for the swift actions of the rangers and the support received post-evacuation.