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Grand Canyon floods breach dam, force evacuations
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-18 11:30 PHOENIX - Days of heavy rains around the Grand Canyon created flooding that breached an earthen dam Sunday and forced helicopters to pluck scores of residents and campers from the gorge. No injuries were immediately reported.
The weather and dam breach caused flooding in a side canyon containing a village where about 400 members of the Havasupai tribe live and where some of the evacuations occurred, said Gerry Blair, a spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff's Department. There were no confirmed reports of damage in the village, Supai, which is on high ground, Blair said. Many residents and campers chose to stay there, Blair said. "We're not as concerned about it as we initially were," he said. Still, a flash flood warning remained in effect, and search and rescue teams planned to stay in the village overnight as a precaution. Some hiking trails and footbridges were washed out after the dam breach about 45 miles upstream from Supai, said Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. Trees were uprooted, the National Weather Service said. About 150 people had fled by helicopter, and evacuations were to continue until dark for those who wanted to leave, Blair said. The effort was initially intended to include about 200 campers and possibly 200 village residents, Blair said, but he didn't know how many them were taken out. |
