Flash flood at Arizona swimming hole kills 7; more people missing

[malaise]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-arizona-flash-flood-20170716-story.html
<snip>
A flash flood barreled through a popular Arizona swimming hole where more than a hundred people were taking refuge from summer heat, killing at least seven people, leaving many more missing and forcing survivors to cling to trees in the rocky terrain, officials and a witness said.

Meteorologists had issued a flash flood warning surrounding a popular swimming area inside the Tonto National Forest before the wave of water gushed through the narrow canyon on Saturday afternoon.

A woman who was hiking to the swimming hole said she saw people clinging to trees after the water rushed down a normally calm creek near the trail.

Video that Disa Alexander shot shortly after the flood showed a man in a tree holding his baby as water rushed around him. His wife was a short distance away from him, also clinging to a tree.


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Too many people ignore flash flood warnings.

[Kittycow]

2. I'm so sorry to hear that.

Swimming holes were a great part of my youth in The Old Days and now more childhood is ruined for these families

It sounds like the flash floods are a known general risk in that area but people get complacent. There was only a 90 minute warning and they probably didn't hear about it.

[Historic NY]

3. Sad but those pesky alerts on your cell phone should be heeded...

we get them all the time, but because we never see anything doesn't mean they can't happen.

[malaise]

4. I don't know but the first thing I do after my first cup of coffee

is check the weather. We never go out of town without knowing the weather around the island.

I don't get our indifference to weather warnings.

[chillfactor]

7. same here...

I pour myself a cup of coffee, settle into my recliner, boot up my laptop, and go to Weather Underground to check the weather. We had quite a thunderstorm go through here a bit ago and another storm system heading our way....I live 15 miles east of Albuquerque NM in the mountains. It is our monsoon season here now so some storms can be very severe.

[rainbow4321]

20. I'm going to be working in ABQ for a few weeks--when is official monsoon season?

Not like I'm gonna NOT go...locked in...but just curious. I start the end of July.

I visited the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago. A clerk and I were talking about the heat...she went thru the list of hot as hell in June, monsoon season July/August, and the snow starts in Sept. and can last til May. As hot as it was while there, it sounds like June is the best/safest time to be there.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. I get them all the time in Chicago.

Not sure what around me is subject to flash flood.

[LeftInTX]

17. Chicago has the infrastructure to deal with flash floods

Without much fan fare.

South Texas not so much.
It used to be real bad down here, until they realized it was a good idea to put bridges over dry creeks.

[Renew Deal]

26. Is there even cell phone service in this park?

[hunter]

5. I have a Cold Spring Canyon story...

... but nobody died.

[malaise]

6. Tell us n/t

[hunter]

12. Tales too ticklish to tell... nudity.

I've no problems with my own nudity, having posted pictures of my own naked ass here on DU, but I'm compelled to protect those who wish to claim innocence.

[malaise]

14. I hear you

[boston bean]

8. frightening!

[panader0]

10. Eight dead reported now.

Flash floods can be deceiving. It may not be raining where you are, but
3 or 4 miles up stream...the water adds up in a hurry. There are usually
several flash flood deaths here every year. It's monsoon season here now,
some of he rains are friendly, some are not.
Many years ago in Tucson, I went with a friend who had bailed out of his
truck in an arroyo when the water was high. We found the truck about 100
yards down stream. Only the top of the cab was visible---the whole truck
was buried in the sand.

[malaise]

11. ABC also had the figure at eight

You can keep us updated. What a tragedy.
Can't imagine bailing out of a vehicle. One of my sisters was rescued by a young man from a gas station nearly when a wall of water came down on her in upstate New York. She and her hubby went back and offered him a reward but he refused it. Said saving one another was basic decency.

[ThoughtCriminal]

18. Nine dead. One still missing

[link:http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/eight-dead-two-missing-after-flash-flood-arizona-swimming-hole-n783526|

[burrowowl]

22. Yep when I was 2 years my Dad

Told me to stay out of arroyos if it was cloudy on the mountains even if not overhead. He also said not to put my finger in a hole, black widows.
Saved some people once when I said get the shit out of here.

[marybourg]

13. I don't think anyone ignored anything.

Last night's storm popped up extremely suddenly, was unusually violent, and I, at least, got no warning of either storm or flash flood until much too late for those folks to do anything. The warning - when it came - was nearly hysterical in nature - (Get out of the water immediately! Leave the area immediately!) There was no audible signal, at least from my carrier, Verizon, and the nature of desert storms and desert terrain (narrow canyons which fill up very quickly and flow down to areas where the weather is still calm also very quickly) makes episodes like this tragic but almost inevitable, especially as population increases in the desert

From the LOCAL paper:

"The thunderstorm hit about 8 miles upstream along Ellison Creek, which quickly flooded the narrow canyon where the swimmers were enjoying a cool dip a on a hot summer day.

"They had no warning. They heard a roar and it was on top of them," Sattelmaier said.
One of the first responders told the Arizona Republic that it was a "6 foot tall, 40 foot wide black wave" moving at 45 mph through a narrow canyon. It took down trees and boulders and soot and ash from the fire scar.

There had been thunderstorms throughout the area near Payson, about an hour and half's drive from Phoenix, but it wasn't raining where the swimmers were. During monsoon season, weather like this can strike furiously."

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2017/07/16/payson-flash-flood-results-four-deaths/482805001/

[malaise]

16. Thanks for your details

How awful

[sheshe2]

21. This also. Your link.

"They had no warning. They heard a roar, and it was on top of them,” Water Wheel Fire and Medical District Fire Chief Ron Sattelmaier said. There were no notices or warnings at the trailhead, Alexander said.

There had been thunderstorms throughout the area, but it wasn't raining where the swimmers were at the time. But it happened during monsoon season, when strong storms suddenly appear thanks to the mix of heat and moisture in the summer months.

Hornung said there was no way to notify people of the flash-flood warning, as cell service is limited and there are no officials stationed in the area. He said visitors are reminded to be vigilant about the weather.

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They really had no warning. As natives, I guess they should have been more aware of monsoon season, yet no notices at the trailhead. None.

My heart goes out to those that died.

[malaise]

24. My link also said there were flash flood warnings

Truth is the locals always know the situation better

[rufus dog]

23. I am guessing the area they in also didn't have cell coverage

Once you get out of Payson things get very secluded.

[ThoughtCriminal]

15. Close to where I live. Very close.

Both of my children and my grandchildren were at this place a couple of weeks ago.

My place was hit by staggering amounts of rain and hail from what I assume was the same storm.

Sadly common in this part of the country. Runoff from storms many miles away converges into a sudden wall of water. This is also a drainage that was hit by a large fire earlier this summer which may have contributed to the rapid accumulation of runoff.

[Snackshack]

19. Sad to read this.

R.I.P to those who lost their lives.

[oasis]

25. Very sad news. nt

[chia]

27. Sadly, there's no cell coverage where the victims were at, so they wouldn't have gotten the warning

Gila County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. David Hornug:

"... unless they had a weather radio out there, they wouldn't have known about it. There is no cell phone service out here."