GRAND CANYON, AZ — Survivors of the deadly flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park said they had only moments to escape as muddy water surged through the lower canyon over the weekend. Hikers and campers described being told to run for higher ground while water rushed over trails and through camp areas.
Gabriel Bergemann and David Gregory said they were backpacking near the bottom of the park on Saturday afternoon when rangers directed them across a footbridge to safety. They said the bridge was later swept away by a wall of water about 10 minutes after they crossed. Another survivor, Erica Viola, said dozens of people ran through deep mud and water while shouting for others to hurry.
Search Continues After Second Body Recovered
Park officials said Monday that a second body had been recovered from the flooded area, while more than a dozen people remained missing or unaccounted for. One of the missing people was identified by relatives as Texas chiropractor Dr. John Giusti, whose family later confirmed he was among the dead.
Authorities said Giusti had been with a hiking group when the flood struck the area where they were camping. He worked for ChiroHabit in Granbury, Texas, and had previously been a partner at Whipple City Family Chiropractic in New York, where a post from his wife described him as a deeply loved husband, father and pillar of the family.
The flood hit around 2:30 p.m. local time in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch areas during a monsoonal downpour. Officials described it as a significant flash-flood event, and the speed of the water left little time for people on the ground to react.
Damage Left The Inner Canyon Cut Off
The National Park Service said more than 60 people, most of them hikers and campers, were air evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail on Saturday. Officials said the flooding caused extensive damage to infrastructure in Bright Angel Canyon, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which carries water from the canyon for use in the park.
Park officials said nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, cutting off hiker access across the creek. The waterline is not operating, and the park is now working with limited water reserves. Because of that disruption, all overnight guest lodging and concessions inside Grand Canyon National Park have been halted.
Survivors said the scenes felt surreal, with one comparing the escape to something out of a movie. Viola said she lost most of her belongings in the flood, while others described the creek becoming a raging river as the water level kept rising.
What Rangers And Survivors Described
People who made it out said the warning from park staff likely saved lives. Bergemann said that if rangers had not ordered an evacuation when they did, many more people might not have survived the flood. Gregory said he watched the creek swell higher and higher as more water poured in.
Viola said she and others heard repeated cries to run as they tried to reach the bridge through knee-high water and thick mud. Once across, she said the torrent destroyed the bridge and wiped out the crossings in the creek below. The recovery effort continues as crews deal with the loss of access routes, water infrastructure and stranded visitors in the inner canyon.
For now, park officials are still assessing the full scope of the damage while accounting for the missing and working to restore basic operations. The combination of destroyed bridges, a disabled water line and ongoing search efforts has left a major section of the park badly disrupted.
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