Heavy storms and floods in northern Arizona strand hikers, forcing rescues
Perry Vandell
Raging thunderstorms that dumped water and hail on northern Arizona kept Coconino Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit busy the past few days.
Rescue teams were called Wednesday morning to save a worker who was injured after a tree fell on him on the Humphrey's Peak Trail, officials said.
The rescuers, as well as Arizona Snowbowl emergency responders, helped the unidentified worker down the trail to an ambulance at the Snowbowl parking lot amid hail, lightning and heavy rain.
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Not long after, search and rescue workers were called to escort two adults, two children and a dog in the Viet Springs area to their vehicle amidst the maelstrom. No one was injured.
At noon, a personal locator beacon registered to a 65-year-old Australian woman flashed an emergency activation in Paria Canyon, which had a flash flood warning the prior evening.
The county search and rescue unit requested the Arizona Department of Public Safety to send a rescue helicopter, which found the woman a couple of hours later.
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The woman told rescuers she was stuck in quicksand for 30 minutes the prior day before flood waters swept her downstream. High water levels prevented her from returning to her camp that evening, forcing her to return Wednesday morning.
She activated her beacon despite making it back to her camp, as she was drained and out of drinking water. The helicopter took her to her parked vehicle at Lee's Ferry.
Rescues continued Thursday when deputies responded to alerts that high water levels had stranded a hiker around Pomeroy Tanks on the Sycamore Rim Trail system that afternoon.
The deputies were eventually able to find a non-flooded route, and helped the Scottsdale man get back to his vehicle.
It wasn't long before search and rescue teams received yet another report.
This time, it was two men in an off-road vehicle that had broken down near Sawmill Hills.
The men planned to hunt around the area when heavy thunderstorms forced them to abandon their plan and wait for help at the intersection of Forest Road 82 and Forest Road 82B.
They called a friend about their plan, who then called the Sheriff's Office for help.
Deputies were eventually able to reach the men and drove them back to their camp off of Lake Mary Road that evening.
The Sherrif's Office concluded its list of recent rescues by reminding people to monitor the weather for sudden changes during the monsoon season.
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