Texas Hiker Speaks Out About Terrifying Grand Canyon Flash Flood

A Texas hiker spoke out with more details about the terrifying Grand Canyon flash flood.

Hopi Point at the Grand Canyon. / Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Grand Canyon has turned into an incredibly dangerous place to be this year. With many reported deaths, it has become even more dangerous this year than in years past.

Last month, another scary situation occurred with brutal flash flooding.

During the flash flooding, more than 100 hikers were stranded. One Texas hiker spoke out about the situation.

Whitnye Raquel spoke to SFGate about the situation in a recent interview.

"We just see boulders crumbling, and the sides of houses and school buildings just tumbling down the canyon walls. I grabbed Paige, because I thought it was going to come right through their grocery store and end us. You don’t think that you’re going to see something like that in real life. It felt like a movie."

She stated that Havasupai tribal members gave shelter to tourists in their village in a school cafeteria. The flooding had destroyed wooden bridges and ladders that hikers use to cross streams on the trail.

A second flooding made hiking out of the area impossible.

"That’s when they said, ‘The trail is now impossible. There are boulders blocking the trail. Nobody can hike in or out. You guys will all be helicopter-evacuated tomorrow morning. Nobody is hiking out of here.’"

To evacuate people from the area, a private helicopter service teamed up with an Arizona National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get 104 people out of the Grand Canyon.

Unfortunately, 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson did not survive the flooding and was swept away down the river. Her body was found a few days later.

Raquel's harrowing tale shows just how dangerous weather conditions can be at the Grand Canyon. Whether it's the intense heat or flooding, safety is needed for anyone visiting and hiking in the area.