On July 23, 2017, just outside of Tucson, Arizona an intense thunderstorm dropped a large amount a rainfall, prompting the National Weather Service to release a flash flood warning for the Santa Catalina Mountains, including Tanque Verde Falls (Sutton & Cullinane, 2017). A flash flood at the Tanque Verde Falls area stranded 17 hikers, prompting a swiftwater rescue. Rescuers, including the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD), Rural Metro Fire Department (RMFD), and the Southern Arizona Search and Rescue Association (SARA) worked diligently to rescue all but two of the stranded hikers. With the use of the PCSD helicopter, 15 hikers were removed from the flood waters and relocated to safety, and two others walked out of the area the following day after receiving provisions to shelter in place (Vinzant & Nunez, 2017). The rising waters were the result of a thunderstorm dropping nearly two inches of rain in the area where the rescues took place (Vinzant & Nunez, 2017). The outcome for the 17 hikers was much more favorable as compared to the ten fatalities from a flash flood event that occurred two weeks earlier in a remote location near Payson, Arizona (Sutton & Cullinane, 2017). Fortunately, the
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It is common for rainfall to be localized and heavy resulting in flash flooding in drainage basins that are typically dry most of the year. Areas that have suffered from a recent wildfire can be even more at risk due to the lack of vegetation and soil stability as seen in the Payson flash flood (Vandell & Dungan,
It is common for rainfall to be localized and heavy resulting in flash flooding in drainage basins that are typically dry most of the year. Areas that have suffered from a recent wildfire can be even more at risk due to the lack of vegetation and soil stability as seen in the Payson flash flood (Vandell & Dungan,