18 Dead After Southern Utah Flash Floods; Two Still Missing

Associated Press
Published: September 16,2015
Flash flooding in southern Utah has killed at least 18 people since Monday night; two others remain missing.
Twelve of those deaths are in the small Utah border community of Hildale after a flash flood swept through the town. A vehicle carrying three women and 13 children was swept away, and only three children survived. 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.
People rushed to the scene when the cars finally came to a stop downstream. What they saw was gruesome; dead bodies were strewn everywhere and the vehicles that once held them were crumpled and mangled, almost beyond recognition. But somehow, they found one boy who survived the ordeal, standing nearby.
"The little boy was standing there," Yvonne Holm told the Associated Press. "He said, 'Are you guys going to help me?'"
(MORE: Flash Flood Danger of Vehicles)
Some 20 miles to the north, the AP reported six people were killed by flash flooding in Zion National Park and one remains missing. Up to 1.89 inches of rain was measured in the park over the past two days as of Tuesday morning at an elevation of 5,741 feet, according to the National Weather Service. 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 AP. "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)

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.

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

According to the NWS 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.
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.
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 problems. Barlow said several blocks of homes were without power and water due to the flooding.
MORE: Images From the Flash Flooding In Utah