Flooding forces 200 evacuations near Grand Canyon waterfalls

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

SUPAI, Ariz. (AP) — About 200 tourists were being evacuated Thursday from a campground on tribal land near famous waterfalls deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon.

The evacuations came after the Havasupai (hav-uh-SU’-peye) Tribe reservation was hit with two rounds of flooding Wednesday and early Thursday, officials said.

An emergency response team was moving tourists from the campground below the tribal village to a school.

All the tourists have been accounted for and no one was seriously injured, tribal spokeswoman Abbie Fink said.

Posts on social media showed water roaring through a canyon and people saying the area was a mess.

People slept in a community building and will be helicoptered out Thursday. The tribe also provided food and supplies.

The reservation is known for its blue-green waterfalls. Spots in the campgrounds sell out quickly every year.

Fink says the reservation will be closed to visitors for more than a week as damage is accessed.

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