The lack of a bridge at the creek in Tonto Basin has forced residents to go to extreme measures to get medical attention when the water flows.
The people who live on the other side of Tonto Creek have learned to adapt over the years, because if the water gets too high, they lose access to food, medicine, even doctors.
“There was no other way out," Tonto Basin resident Lonnie Cline said.
"You couldn’t fly in because if the clouds are on the mountain, no helicopters. We couldn’t go across because it was all slick and greasy and washed out.”
Cline was forced to come up with a creative solution when the road had flooded so badly that an ambulance was not able to reach a man who'd had a stroke.
He had an idea -- and a front loader.
"We put him in there and he was all strapped in," Cline said.
"They was in there and I said, 'He won’t fall out but if you do, I’ll wait for you and you can come back.'”
The patient and the paramedics rode in the bucket, saving the man's life.
"He goes, 'I don't remember the ride except for what people are telling me, but it sounded pretty wild,'" Cline said.
"I said, 'Yeah, it was.'"
Stories like Cline's are common in Tonto Basin.
When the area gets snow or rain, the water flows across dirt roads frequented by residents, leaving them with two options: Cross the water or drive many miles out of the way.
And when the creek floods, some people try to cross anyway. But most wait it out, or find a place to stay on the other side for a while. And it could be weeks -- or months -- before they can go back.
"When the creek was flowing real heavy this past year and nothing could get across," Tonto Basin resident Randy Roberson said.
Roberson was in a similar situation, when a hospice patient needed medication. The nurse, however, was on the other side of the water.
His solution? Take the medication to his drone, and fly it across the creek.
"A simple couple bottles of medication was no big deal," he said.
Tonto Basin residents say a bridge would solve those problems.
Cline has been here for 65 years, born and raised. And he's seen people die in that water.
Willa Rawlings was found dead on the north side of Roosevelt Lake on Dec. 13, after she was swept away in floodwaters in Tonto Basin after a rainstorm on Nov. 29.
Willa's brother Colby and cousin Austin, both 5, were found dead that next day.