Raging Arizona flash floods sweep cars away, strand 8 motorists in back-to-back desert rescues

MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - Mohave County search and rescue crews carried out multiple swift-water rescues Sunday after torrential rains from Tropical Storm Rachel overwhelmed desert washes, sweeping away an SUV and leaving stranded drivers clinging to hillsides and logs.

What we know:

The life-saving operations unfolded south of Lake Havasu City and near Topock, where sudden flash flooding trapped at least eight people in separate incidents, forcing an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter to fly in from Phoenix to airlift a group of five stranded twenty-somethings whose vehicle was dragged away by raging waters.

Two close calls, hours apart

Timeline:

That rescue began at 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning after Mohave County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received an emergency call from a family member of the five young adults. The group — three men and two women — had ventured out Saturday evening to explore near Mohave Wash when their Jeep Grand Cherokee suffered radiator problems, stranding them overnight.

While the desert wash was bone-dry when their vehicle broke down, lingering downpours from Tropical Storm Rachel rapidly turned the wash into a violent river, ripping the Jeep from where it stood and washing it away. The group managed to escape to higher ground on foot and take shelter on top of a hill, but by Sunday morning, dead cell phone batteries left them with no way to communicate their coordinates.

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Ground crews from Search and Rescue battled swollen waterways from Standard Wash toward Mohave Wash, facing severe delays as they searched for places safe enough to cross the surging torrents. DPS Central Air Rescue dispatched a helicopter out of Phoenix to assist the ground search. Crew members spotted the group huddled on the hilltop, touched down and flew all five back to the command post unharmed and in good spirits.

"We searched the Mohave Wash area for about an hour, checking likely locations, including Dollar Cabin. We found the Jeep about a mile up the wash from the cabin. Even though the rain in Havasu had stopped several hours earlier, the water was still flowing hard in the normally dry wash," said local photographer Todd Taylor, who flew with Havasu Helicopters after the company volunteered to help with the search. "We continued up the wash toward Lake Havasu, hoping the group had gone that way. Soon after, the DPS helicopter arrived, and the missing people were located on top of the mountain."

Hours later, emergency responders were called out again around 2:45 p.m. to South Oatman Highway near Topock Lake, where a 67-year-old man and a 37-year-old man in a pickup truck hauling a boat trailer ignored closure barricades and drove straight into a flooded highway. Rushing water trapped the truck between two active washes, forcing the pair to scramble out and sit on a log watching the waters recede until rescuers arrived to help them across to safety. Earlier that day, another driver and his dog had to flee a white Jeep after driving north into the same flooded highway.

What they're saying:

The close calls prompted a sharp warning from Mohave County officials, who reminded the public that bypassing closed signs endangers both motorists and first responders. Under Arizona’s "Stupid Motorist Law," drivers who intentionally skirt flood barricades and require rescue can be billed up to $2,000 for emergency response expenses on top of any moving violation citations. "These incidents put both the public and responding personnel at unnecessary risk," officials said of the latter rescues. "When you see water on the road or a barricade, turn around and find another route."

Search and rescue officials continued, "When recreating in the remote and rugged backcountry of Mohave County, it is important to travel with multiple vehicles in case one becomes stranded. It is also critical to check the weather forecast and understand how storms — especially lingering systems like Hurricane Rachel — can quickly turn dry washes into dangerous, running water. Have a plan for communication if phones lose battery or signal, and let someone know your plans and expected return time."

The area where the five twenty-somethings were rescued:

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the identities of those rescued or confirmed whether the motorists who bypassed closure barricades will face citations or be billed up to $2,000 for emergency response costs.

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