16 Dead After Southern Utah Flash Floods; Four Still Missing

weather.com
Published: September 15,2015
Flash flooding in southern Utah has killed at least 16 people since Monday night; four others remain missing.
Twelve of those deaths are in the small Utah border community of Hildale after a flash flood swept through the town. Three of the dead are adults and six are children, according to authorities, and most of the families of the deceased and missing have been notified. Washington County Emergency Services told The Weather Channel one person is still missing, and it is unclear whether the individual is an adult or child.
Forty miles to the north, the Associated Press reports that four people were killed by flash flooding in Zion National Park and three remain missing. Up to 1.89 inches of rain was measured in Zion National Park over the past two days as of Tuesday morning at an elevation of 5,741 feet, according to the NWS. Officials have not yet released the identities of those killed or missing.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert expressed his sorrow in a statement, lamenting, "I join with other Utahns in mourning today the lives lost in two tragic incidents at Zion National Park and Hildale. Jeanette and I send our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones. I thank the first responders, volunteers and other officials involved in the recovery effort."

The situation in Hildale has shocked the community. Flooding started overnight and "obviously caught these people off guard," Hildale assistant fire chief Kevin Barlow told The Associated Press. "Witnesses say they were backing out of it trying to get away from it and it still swept them in."

A vehicle rests in debris after a flash flood in Hildale, Utah. (Mark Lamont via AP)

Barlow told NBC News that an SUV and a van carrying a total of 16 people had been swept away by the flooding. They were "hit by a large wall of water and debris," Washington County Emergency Services said in a statement.
"Most of the people were thrown from the vehicles," Barlow told CNN.
(MORE: Flash Flood Danger of Vehicles)
Three people survived as the flash flooding washed the vehicles several hundred yards downstream about 5 p.m. MDT. One survivor was found downstream at a bank in town. One survivor remained hospitalized overnight, Washington County Emergency Services reported. Six of the deceased were located in Utah and two in Arizona, almost 2 1/2 miles downstream.
In light of the tragedy, Herbert warned residents and tourists, “Today’s tragedy also serves as a reminder to residents and those visiting our state to take appropriate precautions and be aware of the factors that contribute to dangerous flash floods. This includes strong thunderstorms and intense rainfall that can take place over several hours or even just a few minutes.”
Authorities say that around 150 people from county, state and federal agencies, 500 community volunteers, and six or seven search dogs are working at search and rescue efforts in Hildale and its sister town across the Arizona border, Colorado City.
Herbert released a statement Tuesday morning indicating that state officials are in close communication with local government and public safety officials in the affected area and offered the full resources of the state to the town of Hildale to aid with the search and rescue effort. The Utah National Guard has been mobilized and is expected to arrive late Tuesday afternoon, Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, said at a press conference.
According to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, the deadliest single flash flood on record in Utah prior to Monday's event was an August 13, 1923 flood near Farmington, claiming seven lives.

The towns sit at the foot of picturesque red rock cliffs about 315 miles south of Salt Lake City. The floods came after heavy rains fell in the canyons just north of the towns, sending waves of water barreling through the streets.
"This hit with a vengeance we haven't seen for some time," Barlow told NBC.

Zoom-in of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, highlighting Short Creek and the canyon northeast of Hildale.
(Google Earth)

The women and children were on a gravel road north of the towns, Barlow said. It appears they were coming back from a park in the area when the flash flood hit, he said.
NWS Doppler radar from Cedar City, Utah, estimated over 1.5 inches of rain fell over and just upstream of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona.
Barlow said he doesn't know if residents were aware of the warning. He said water rises 1 to 1 1/2 feet at normal flood stage. "This was several feet deep, at least, and even more treacherous in the narrow channels."

Radar loop of Hildale, Utah, deadly flash flood from 1:30 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. MT on Sep. 14, 2015.

A river gauge on Short Creek at Colorado City measured a 3.42 foot rise in just 19 minutes associated with the first wave of flooding around 3:18 p.m.
A second wave of flooding 90 minutes later produced a rise of 5.36 feet in 17 minutes from 4:48 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. The creek remained high (above 4 feet) until the gauge stopped reporting data around 5:47 p.m.
Nearby Cedar City, Utah, averages only 0.68 inches of rain in the month of September, though flash flooding in the summer is unfortunately quite common in southwest Utah.
According to NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, Washington County, Utah, has experienced 118 days with at least one report of flash flooding from 1950 through late April 2015, for an average of 1-2 flash flood days per year.
Hildale is home to Jeff Warren's sect of polygamists, who believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven, are believed to be discouraged from watching TV, using the Internet or having much contact with the outside world.
More than four years after Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting underage girls he considered brides, the community is split between loyalists who still believe Jeffs is a victim of religious persecution and defectors who are embracing government efforts to pull the town into modern society.

Debris and water cover the ground after a flash flood Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, in Hildale, Utah. Authorities say multiple people are dead and others missing after a flash flood ripped through the town on the Utah-Arizona border Monday night.
(Mark Lamont via AP)

The community is a patchwork of upscale, elegant residences surrounded by large walls and unfinished, dilapidated houses that remain just as they were in the early 2000s, when Jeffs ordered that all construction stop in Utah to focus on building his compound in Texas.

The flooding also caused other, less serious problems. Barlow said several blocks of homes are without power and water due to the flooding.
The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered rain and thunderstorms Tuesday in the area.
-- Information from The Associated Press was used in this story
MORE: Images From the Flash Flooding In Utah