Flash flood in small polygamous community opens old wounds

Seven hikers killed in a flash flood at Zion National Park this week stopped to pose for a photo in their helmets, wetsuits and harnesses before heading into a narrow canyon.

The local water department issued the advisory as a precaution Wednesday after floods tore through the sister cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, sweeping away two vehicles Monday and killing at least 12 people.

Authorities have not identified the remaining victims.

About 45 miles away, a second search continued for a 6-year-old boy who was swept away in a flash flood in Hildale from the same Monday rainstorm.

Searchers continue to comb through mud and debris during a search… Search and rescue volunteers search for a missing person around Short Creek in Colorado City, Ariz., Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Two of Black’s sons and one of Jessop’s sons who survived stood by their fathers but didn’t speak.

Black didn’t provide the names of his sons, and Hildale Mayor Philip Barlow said the men would not answer questions from the media after reading their statements. He expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support after his wife and children were swept away in a flash food Monday.

The group of seven people in their 40s and 50s from California and Nevada set out Monday, before park officials closed canyons due to flooding.

Authorities say the body of a 33-year-old man missing since flash flooding hit the Utah-Arizona border earlier this week has been recovered miles from his heavily damaged vehicle. Floodwaters swept away multiple vehicles in the Utah-Arizona border town, killing several people and leaving others missing.

In Zion, killed were California residents Mark MacKenzie, 56, of Valencia; Linda Arthur, 57, and Steve Arthur, 58, both of Camarillo; Gary Favela, 51, of Rancho Cucamonga; Muku Reynolds, 59, of Chino; and Robin Brum, 53, of Camarillo.

Some in the group were new to rappelling and were swimming through narrow canyons in a sport called canyoneering, but park policy prevents rangers from assessing their skill level or stopping them from going, even after repeated warnings of the flood risk Monday.

Park spokesman Dave Eaker says authorities are investigating and reviewing policies in the wake of the deaths, but the process to get permits to enter Keyhole Canyon is created at the national level.

The seven hikers were clambering through a popular canyon when a deluge seen only once a century unleashed a wall of churning water.

Officials at Zion National Park released a photo late Thursday, showing the group from California and Nevada smiling and standing with their arms around each other on Monday afternoon. The route is considered entry level, according to canyoneering experts.

Park rangers say the group was told about the danger of flash flooding before they entered the canyon, but there was no way to warn them once the fast-moving waters began to rise.

They said the deaths of their parents and five others in the group Monday afternoon stemmed from being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Keyhole Canyon is a short, narrow slot canyon located on the east side of Zion National Park”, the park service said.

Aside from one spot near the canyon’s entrance, “there really is no high ground”. “I want to express to the sheriff and law enforcement, so very much from the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping rescue our children and family members”.