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| Extreme flash flooding in the Havasu Creek and Falls area of the Grand Canyon last week killed one person and forced helicopter rescues for dozens of others. |
I often cite local disasters like this as evidence of the harm created by climate change.
Both of these disasters might have been related to climate change, but I don't know for sure and can't prove it either way. But still, they're pretty intense.
NORTHERN ARIZONA
Havasu Creek and Havasu Canyon in northern Arizona - part of the Grand Canyon are an incredibly scenic spot in northern Arizona, popular with hikers and vacationers. It features Havasu Falls, a gorgeous blue-green feature that attracts thousands of tourists annually and is a main attraction to the Grand Canyon
Hundreds of hikers were in the canyon and along the creek last Thursday when disaster struck. It's monsoon season in Arizona, when moisture from both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico find their way to the Desert Southwest.
The monsoons create intense thunderstorms, famous for creating abrupt flash floods in the deserts, low water crossings, creeks, canyons and back country of Arizona.
Last Thursday, an especially intense monsoon struck in and around Havasu Canyon. The resulting flash flood was epic, stranding at least 100 hikers and sweeping away a woman, who was later found dead.
"Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was hiking with her husband near Havasu Creek on Thursday when the couple was swept away by the flash flood. Her husband was able to be rescued by rafters, but Nickerson went missing in the Colorado River."
Her body was eventually found 20 miles downriver. Nickerson's family is raising money for the National Park Service Search and Rescue in her honor. Family members said the search and rescue team is historically underfunded, and they believe this is a great way to honor Nickerson's memory.
I couldn't agree more.
The death toll could well have been higher, but Havasupai tribal members who live in the area recognized the flash flood situation developing and warned hikers to seek high ground immediately.
The Havasupai Tribe's reservation is perhaps the most remote in the nation. You can only get to it on foot, mule or via helicopter.
Havasu Falls and surrounding trails are now off limits to visitors for the foreseeable future. The tribe is working with FEMA on coordinating repairs. Although monsoon flash flooding is common in this area, the one that struck last week was much worse than usual.
Dramatic video of the flash flood are here and here.
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
Ketchikan, Alaska, on the state's panhandle south of Juneau, is normally very wet - one of the wettest cities on Earth. Its normal annual rainfall is about 150 inches. (That compares to roughly 40 inches a year here in Vermont).
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| Aerial view of the big landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska. |
Recently, however, the tain was too much even for soggy Ketchikan. A tragic landslide last Sunday buried part of a city neighborhood, killing one person and injuring three others. Numerous homes were destroyed in a dense neighborhood not far from downtown, reports Alaska Public Media.
The person killed was Sean Griffin, a senior maintenance technician for Ketchikan who was off duty but volunteering to clear clogged storm drains when the landslide hit.
A number of factors could have contributed to the slide. Around 2.5 inches of rain fell on Ketchikan that day That's unusually heavy for a single day there, but not record-breaking.
Fatal landslides have been increasing in southeast Alaska, with four such slides in the past decade. It's possible climate change has had a hand in this, as increases in temperature, precipitation and wind associated with climate change might be making the steep landscape less stable.
Gabriel Woken of the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys said he suspect climate change might be playing a role, but the causes of the landslides are so complex that it's hard to know for sure.
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