|
Share this
Mister Wong
Digg
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Googlize this
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Print
E-mail
Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding have hampered park operations at Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeast Arizona since the 2010 monsoon season started several weeks ago, and have impacted visitor attendance.
Large floods on Aug. 1 destroyed the footbridge to Antelope House and made upper reaches of the canyons impassible. On Aug. 3, with thunderstorms building again, members of the park staff were closing the visitor center when they saw a tornado just north of the park.
Heavy rains in the mountains also caused a small earthen dam to fail. Due to all the excitement, rumors started around 8 p.m. that Tsaile Dam at the head of Del Muerto Canyon had failed and that Chinle was going to be flooded. The park was inundated with calls asking about flooding and the Navajo Nation radio began reporting the incident.
Although they knew the dam was not in danger, the Navajo Police Department declared an emergency because they anticipated flooding due to the heavy rains and the already high water levels. An incident command post was established in Chinle to handle the coordination between agencies for the emergency response.
The canyon and park campground were closed and other low lying areas were placed under a voluntary evacuation order. Campers and local evacuees were moved to the Chinle Community Center, where a temporary shelter was established.
At midnight, members of the park's SAR staff hiked down into the canyon to Antelope House to warn an overnight camping group of Girl Scouts to move to higher ground. Water levels rose to very high levels early in the morning and continued through the next day.
On the morning of Aug. 4, with the canyon impassible to vehicles, the park received a call from a historic preservation trail crew that a canyon resident had been reported to them as unconscious due to a diabetic condition. Family members and the patient were working their way upstream using a vehicle and tractor to get through the stream crossings to a wide spot in the canyon.
The park called in a medevac helicopter from Winslow and directed it to a landing site near the location where the family was waiting. The patient was still unconscious and was transported to the Chinle Indian Health Services hospital for treatment. After treatment, he recovered and was released later that evening.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument relects one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America. The cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly include distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery, while exhibiting remarkable preservation integrity that provides outstanding opportunities for study and contemplation.
Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance.
Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park service units, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that remains home to the canyon community. NPS works in partnership with the Navajo Nation to manage park resources and sustain the living Navajo community.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover in large measure to preserve the important archeological resources that span more than 4,000 years of human occupation.
The monument encompasses approximately 84,000 acres of lands located entirely on the Navajo Nation with roughly 40 families residing within the park boundaries. The National Park Service and the Navajo Nation share resources and continue to work in partnership to manage this special place.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a non-fee area and does not collect fees for park entrance or the campground. The park does appreciate donations that can be dropped in the donation boxes located inside the visitor center and at the campground entrance. No reservations or registration are required for the campground.
The elevation at the park ranges from 5,500 feet at the visitor center to more than 7,000 feet at the last overlook. Since the weather is unpredictable, the public is advised to monitor local weather forecasts and come prepared for sudden changes.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.nps.gov/cach/ or call the park's visitor center at (928) 674-5500.
Large floods on Aug. 1 destroyed the footbridge to Antelope House and made upper reaches of the canyons impassible. On Aug. 3, with thunderstorms building again, members of the park staff were closing the visitor center when they saw a tornado just north of the park.
 |
Although they knew the dam was not in danger, the Navajo Police Department declared an emergency because they anticipated flooding due to the heavy rains and the already high water levels. An incident command post was established in Chinle to handle the coordination between agencies for the emergency response.
The canyon and park campground were closed and other low lying areas were placed under a voluntary evacuation order. Campers and local evacuees were moved to the Chinle Community Center, where a temporary shelter was established.
At midnight, members of the park's SAR staff hiked down into the canyon to Antelope House to warn an overnight camping group of Girl Scouts to move to higher ground. Water levels rose to very high levels early in the morning and continued through the next day.
On the morning of Aug. 4, with the canyon impassible to vehicles, the park received a call from a historic preservation trail crew that a canyon resident had been reported to them as unconscious due to a diabetic condition. Family members and the patient were working their way upstream using a vehicle and tractor to get through the stream crossings to a wide spot in the canyon.
The park called in a medevac helicopter from Winslow and directed it to a landing site near the location where the family was waiting. The patient was still unconscious and was transported to the Chinle Indian Health Services hospital for treatment. After treatment, he recovered and was released later that evening.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument relects one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America. The cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly include distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery, while exhibiting remarkable preservation integrity that provides outstanding opportunities for study and contemplation.
Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance.
Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park service units, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that remains home to the canyon community. NPS works in partnership with the Navajo Nation to manage park resources and sustain the living Navajo community.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover in large measure to preserve the important archeological resources that span more than 4,000 years of human occupation.
The monument encompasses approximately 84,000 acres of lands located entirely on the Navajo Nation with roughly 40 families residing within the park boundaries. The National Park Service and the Navajo Nation share resources and continue to work in partnership to manage this special place.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a non-fee area and does not collect fees for park entrance or the campground. The park does appreciate donations that can be dropped in the donation boxes located inside the visitor center and at the campground entrance. No reservations or registration are required for the campground.
The elevation at the park ranges from 5,500 feet at the visitor center to more than 7,000 feet at the last overlook. Since the weather is unpredictable, the public is advised to monitor local weather forecasts and come prepared for sudden changes.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.nps.gov/cach/ or call the park's visitor center at (928) 674-5500.
