VIDEO: Arizona, no stranger to deadly flash floods, continues to see rescue crews stressing the rapid and unpredictable nature of these events. This comes after past tragedies, including a 2017 incident where 10 family members died in Payson and a 2019 event where three children were swept away in the Tonto Basin. Warning signs line Houston Mesa Road, marking canyons as flash flood areas. Rescue crews emphasize that clear skies overhead can be deceptive, as distant storms can trigger dense flash floods without immediate warning.
At the Verde River, near the Water Wheel Recreation Center โ a site of one of Arizonaโs most deadly flash floods โ calm waters can quickly turn deadly. This remote area lacks early warning systems and flood gauges, and dense debris from past floods still litters the creek banks eight years later. The Tonto Rim Search and Rescue team says they never stop looking for victims, prioritizing bringing them home. “You know, we have to be ready,” said Ken Flickinger, vice commander of Tonto Rim Search and Rescue. “I have crates that are marked rope rescue, swift water, helicopter, all the teams that I’m involved in and then our every day, you know, just get out onto the trails. Bring somebody home. That’s the most important thing.”
Bill Pitterle, commander of Tonto Rim Search and Rescue, described the speed of the water. “Maybe they saw that tongue, and maybe they started running, but they just can’t outrun it. It comes up too fast,” he said. “It would be in probably 60 seconds, it’d be five, six, seven feet deep in here. That fast.” Pitterle reiterated the team’s unwavering commitment: “Bring them home. That’s all we care about. Bring them home.”
