In another part of the canyon, an earthen wall that forms a pond to water cattle and other livestock was breached about 45 miles upstream from Supai.

Havasupai Vice Chairman Matthew Putesoi declined to comment until the tribe checks the extent of the damage to the village. No more tourists were being allowed in.

An evacuee rests in a Red Cross shelter Aug. 18, 2008 in Peach Springs, Ariz. Flooding along the western end of the Grand Canyon after heavy weekend rains caused flooding near Havasu Falls, a side canyon of the Grand Canyon forcing many residents and hikers to be evacuated. [Agencies]

Ferdinand Rivera, who was visiting the canyon with friends, awoke around midnight Saturday to the voices of other campers warning of rising flood waters that were approaching his tent.

Within 10 minutes, he said he gathered his tent and belongings and sought higher ground. But with a nearby bridge and trails washed out, he said "there was no way of hiking back, there was no way of getting out."

With his gear in tow, he hiked about two miles across rugged ground to the village where he was evacuated by helicopter Monday afternoon.

Rivera said officials should have forced evacuations sooner and worked quicker to remove those who were stranded in the canyon. "It was so negligent, so badly handled not only by the villagers but also by whatever agency was there, that I will never go back to that place," he said.

The Havasupai tribe is one of the smaller Indian communities in Arizona with about 679 members, according to Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates from 2003, the latest statistics available.