PHOENIX – With a history of deadly flash floods, Arizona rescue teams continue to highlight the unpredictable and fast-moving dangers these events pose.
What’s Happening:
Recent warnings follow past tragedies, including a 2017 flood in Payson that killed 10 family members and a 2019 incident in the Tonto Basin where three children were swept away.
Warning signs now line Houston Mesa Road, identifying canyons prone to flash flooding. Despite clear skies overhead, storms miles away can unleash dangerous floods without warning, rescue crews caution.
Near the Verde River and the Water Wheel Recreation Center — the site of one of the state’s deadliest floods — what looks like calm water can quickly turn violent. This remote area lacks flood gauges and early warning systems, and remnants of past floods still clutter the creek banks even eight years later.
What They’re Saying:
The Tonto Rim Search and Rescue team remains vigilant in their mission to recover victims and bring them home.
“We have to be ready,” said Ken Flickinger, vice commander of the team. “I’ve got crates labeled for rope rescues, swift water, helicopter ops—everything we might need. Every day, we just get out there. Bringing someone home is what matters most.”
Team commander Bill Pitterle emphasized how quickly flash floods can strike.
“Maybe they saw the flood coming and tried to run, but they just can’t outrun it. It rises too fast,” he said. “Within 60 seconds, the water could be five, six, even seven feet deep.”
Pitterle reinforced the team’s purpose: “Bring them home. That’s all we care about. Bring them home.”
He also pointed out that many canyon areas remain vulnerable because the sound of rushing water drowns out alarms, making early warnings ineffective.
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