TUSAYAN, Ariz. — Cleanup efforts are underway in Tusayan after a massive flood swept through the small town that leads to the Grand Canyon.
Town officials report no one was injured in the flash flood.
"A storm of epic proportions," Coconino County Deputy Manager Andy Bertelsen said. “We know that we’ve had some homes underwater, some cars that were underwater during that time."
Water flowing at about two feet deep and 300 feet wide moved swiftly through the middle of town and across Highway 64.
“I have not seen any types of flow like this ever before," Coconino County Sheriff Lt. Brian Tozer said. “There was large debris, logs, concrete blocks and other things that were moving through that water.”
Tozer said the water was strong enough to move an entire shipping container.
“It picked it up and moved it probably several hundred feet, ended up on top of a vehicle," Tozer said.
Town and county officials spent Wednesday assessing the damage.
“We have a lot of cleanup to do on our side roads and some things like that and some damage to some of the first-floor residences and hotels," Tusayan Mayor Clarinda Vail said.
Rebecca Harris, a Tusayan resident, said her home wasn't damaged in the flood, but they did temporarily lose power.
“It was pretty chaotic and I can see why everybody was so concerned, and frankly, quite a bit scared," Harris said.
Harris said the responding agencies did a good job of clearing the roads right away.
“It’s dirty. There’s a lot of dry mud," Harris said. "They have plow trucks that are basically pushing the mud off the roads as much as possible.”
Tusayan is home to less than 600 people, but sees about 80% of the Grand Canyon's visitors, according to Vail.
“We are a small community that serves up to six million people a year," Vail said.
The mayor said the town is operating business as usual and the flood won't keep them from hosting people passing through.
“Grand Canyon National Park is open. Tusayan is still open. We are working with what we are dealing with here, but we are open," Vail said.
Coconino County is setting up a citizen assistance center for anyone impacted by the flood.
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