Flash flood warnings still in effect; search underway for teen-age girl
Flash flood warnings continue today as rescue workers are trying to locate a teen-age girl washed away during a rescue effort Saturday.
Dozens of search and rescue professionals were involved in the search as of 7 a.m. Sunday. Agencies involved in the search include Cottonwood and Verde Valley Fire, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Cottonwood Police Department and Yavapai Search and Rescue.
According to VVFD Fire Chief Danny Johnson, rescue crews were contacted at 9:40 p.m. Saturday concerning a vehicle stranded in a low-water crossing.
“During the attempts to contact the driver, a 16-year-old female was swept downstream,” Chief Johnson advised in a news release. “The crews immediately deployed search teams that began searching downriver from Camino Real to the 260.”
Johnson said that because of rising waters and active storms, air support was not immediately available.
The missing girl, said Johnson, was last seen wearing blue shorts, a light blue shirt and white tennis shoes.
The incident command center for this search effort is located near Arrowhead Lane and Camino Real with additional support established along the 1700 block of South State Route 260.
Saturday’s rains resulted in flash flooding throughout the Verde Valley. Social media posts reported extensive flooding in Jerome’s Gulch area and throughout the Cornville area.
As of 11:07 p.m. Saturday, Jerome residents reported very heavy flows through Deception Gulch with “large boulders and broken limbs … heading downstream at a rapid rate.”
U.S. Geological Survey data collected as of 7 a.m. Sunday shows flows of 2,020 cubic feet per second on the Verde River near Clarkdale. The two gauging stations on the Verde River in the Camp Verde area show flows of 5,640 and 7.130 cfs.
Weather Underground forecasts more thunderstorms this afternoon.
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