Sedona flooding: Dozens rescued as residents return to mud, sinkholes
Sedona flood aftermath: Community helps clean damaged homes
Sedona residents returned to damaged homes and debris-covered streets after torrential floodwaters swept through neighborhoods around Red Rock Crossing Village. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
SEDONA, Ariz. - Dozens of people were rescued from powerful flooding in Sedona, and residents are returning to their homes to find mud and sinkholes just steps from their doors. Amid the trail of destruction, an outpouring of community help is already digging in.
Intense Flooding:
About seven miles from Uptown Sedona, mud and debris coat Red Rock Crossing Village after sudden floodwaters tore through parts of Sedona.
"I’ll just show you where the waterline was. You can’t see it now because we’ve cleaned most of it out, but the water line came about 10 inches above this porch," said Glen Baker.
Salvaging Homes:
Baker spent the day helping his friend salvage what was left of the home, but he was not alone.
"We’ve had about 20 people from the community, not just locals, but surrounding communities, here around 7:30, 8:00 this morning removing everything out of the house. Then we got all the shop vacs and cleared out the water," Baker said.
After evacuating yesterday, neighbors returned home armed with shovels and vacuums while taking in all the damage. The water rushed through the area with so much force that it knocked over a fence and washed away the ground, leaving a steep drop just steps away from the home.
"Just be careful. This was all grass before, so this is where the chairs and the furniture we found," Baker said.
Dig deeper:
Next door, there is a similar level of devastation.
"My house has got about a foot of mud in the back. Every single room in the house has mud on the floor. Everything up to about 10 to 12 inches from the floor is wet and damaged," Cindy Wilmer said.
Roads to Rivers:
Roads turned to rivers, and a lot of debris is now scattered along the street.
"There was water coming down the street behind the house here, just flowing like the creek. And the next thing we knew it was just coming up and up and up. And it was time to go," Wilmer said.
Gov. Hobbs declares state of emergency following weekend storms in Arizona
Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statewide emergency declaration following storms that moved across Arizona over the weekend.
Dozens Rescued:
The Sedona Fire Department says crews pulled about 40 people to safety yesterday. County and city officials are out assessing the damage.
"It makes me want to cry. A lot of us have lived here for a really long time. We’ve never seen anything like this," Wilmer said.
Resources:
As of 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 2, the city of Sedona said, "Residents in most evacuated areas can now return to their homes. However, they need to be prepared to show proof of residency at police checkpoints. Streets that remain closed are: Blackhawk Lane, Trails End Drive and Lane, and Bear Wallow Lane. These will reopen once conditions are safe for return."
Sedona's evacuation map can be used to prepare for evacuation planning. A call center was activated for Coconino County for information about evacuations, sandbags and road closures at 928-679-8525. More information on evacuation zones and flood preparedness can be found on coconino.az.gov/ready. Additional weather updates can be found here.
For the most up-to-date on road closures, visit AZ511.com or the AZ511 app.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe has been set up to help affected families in the Red Rock Crossing Village community.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Glen Baker, a friend helping salvage a damaged home; Cindy Wilmer, an affected resident; the Sedona Fire Department; social media posts from the city of Sedona; the Arizona Department of Transportation; the Coconino County government website; FOX 10 reporter Megan Spector, and previous FOX 10 reports.