This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/18/rescue-search-utah-boy-flash-flood

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Rescue teams continue search for Utah boy after catastrophic flash flood Rescue teams continue search for Utah boy after catastrophic flash flood
(about 3 hours later)
The sister towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona straddle one another’s borders and are often referred to as one place, Short Creek, a reference to the stream which passes through their rural neighborhoods. It’s typically a shallow river. On Thursday, it was almost dry. Car tires, tree limps, and other debris poke from its thick red mud. The sister towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, straddle one another’s borders and are often referred to as one place, Short Creek, a reference to the stream which passes through their rural neighborhoods. It’s typically a shallow river. On Thursday, it was almost dry. Car tires, tree limps, and other debris poke from its thick red mud.
Search and rescue teams canvassed the riverbed Thursday with shovels and cadaver dogs and dump trucks carried away tons of mineral deposit left by a wall of water that tore through earlier this week. Search and rescue teams canvassed the riverbed on Thursday with shovels and cadaver dogs and dump trucks carried away tons of mineral deposit left by a wall of water that tore through earlier this week.
Related: Utah flash flood: death toll rises as more victims found in Zion national parkRelated: Utah flash flood: death toll rises as more victims found in Zion national park
Short Creek was the site of the catastrophic flash flood earlier this week, whose death toll hit 19 late Thursday, after authorities found the body of a seventh person canyoneering in nearby Zion National Park. In the sister towns, three women and nine children were killed, as the search continues for a missing 6-year-old boy. The National Weather Service is calling it Utah’s “hundred year storm”. Short Creek was the site of the catastrophic flash flood earlier this week, whose death toll hit 19 late on Thursday, after authorities found the body of a seventh person canyoneering in nearby Zion National Park. In the sister towns, three women and nine children were killed, as the search continues for a missing six-year-old boy. The National Weather Service is calling it Utah’s “hundred year storm”.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Darrin Bistline, a Hildale resident, told the Guardian. “There’s been some pretty good floods and everyone just comes to look every time. But never nothing like this.”“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Darrin Bistline, a Hildale resident, told the Guardian. “There’s been some pretty good floods and everyone just comes to look every time. But never nothing like this.”
According to the town’s mayor, the victims were returning from a park at the foot of nearby Maxwell Canyon when they approached an area of the road that had been washed upon by an overflowing flood channel. The families were all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a polygamous religious sect. The three mothers and their children stepped out of the vehicles, apparently to assess the flood, when a second surge of water came through in a seven-foot torrent.According to the town’s mayor, the victims were returning from a park at the foot of nearby Maxwell Canyon when they approached an area of the road that had been washed upon by an overflowing flood channel. The families were all members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a polygamous religious sect. The three mothers and their children stepped out of the vehicles, apparently to assess the flood, when a second surge of water came through in a seven-foot torrent.
Although the women and children climbed back in their vans, the water carried the vehicles over several embankments and the windows shattered.Although the women and children climbed back in their vans, the water carried the vehicles over several embankments and the windows shattered.
Three of the boys are known to have survived. Their mothers’ and siblings’ bodies were found in separate areas of the Short Creek riverbed, a seven-mile stretch where crews are still looking for the last missing child, Tyson Lucas Black, a six-year-old who is also the only child victim to be named. The other children ranged in age from 4 to 11. Three of the boys are known to have survived. Their mothers’ and siblings’ bodies were found in separate areas of the Short Creek riverbed, a seven-mile stretch where crews are still looking for the last missing child, Tyson Lucas Black, a six-year-old who is also the only child victim to be named. The other children ranged in age from four to 11.
It’s unclear whether the mothers had cell phones to receive the flood warnings that were issued several hours before the event took place. Yet even if they did, rural desert areas like Short Creek have notoriously poor cell phone coverage, and many complain that they don’t receive the notices with any consistency. It’s unclear whether the mothers had cellphones to receive the flood warnings that were issued several hours before the event took place. Yet even if they did, rural desert areas like Short Creek have notoriously poor cellphone coverage, and many complain that they don’t receive the notices with any consistency.
And since the region receives as many as 120 flash floods per year, when warnings do come out, locals have a tendency to ignore them or go investigate on their own.And since the region receives as many as 120 flash floods per year, when warnings do come out, locals have a tendency to ignore them or go investigate on their own.
“I saw the storm before it came,” said Joseph Levis Jessop, 36. “It looked like a tornado that was miles wide. It was dark black-gray and it just looked like it was barreling this way. It don’t rain here very much so we’re like, ‘Let’s go four-wheeling in it.’”“I saw the storm before it came,” said Joseph Levis Jessop, 36. “It looked like a tornado that was miles wide. It was dark black-gray and it just looked like it was barreling this way. It don’t rain here very much so we’re like, ‘Let’s go four-wheeling in it.’”
It’s almost a town tradition to go out when it’s storming and even walk to flood channel areas to see the water surge. Bristine had to stop his children from walking toward the flood as it unfolded. “It’s a fascination,” he said, “Just something to go see.”It’s almost a town tradition to go out when it’s storming and even walk to flood channel areas to see the water surge. Bristine had to stop his children from walking toward the flood as it unfolded. “It’s a fascination,” he said, “Just something to go see.”
Short Creek sits at the foot of several slick rock canyons that offer a stunning vista – red bluffs rising 2,000 feet around the most of the town – but those petrified sandstone cliffs are a great danger to residents in the valley below, which is essentially a drainage zone with ground that doesn’t absorb water.Short Creek sits at the foot of several slick rock canyons that offer a stunning vista – red bluffs rising 2,000 feet around the most of the town – but those petrified sandstone cliffs are a great danger to residents in the valley below, which is essentially a drainage zone with ground that doesn’t absorb water.
“In Utah, the ground is rock hard – it’s like a parking lot – it doesn’t have much vegetation if any and it’s really steep slopes,” said Brian McInerney, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. “The headwaters from this flash flood came down 2,000 feet and were only about two or three miles away from the town of Hildale. When you think of a drop like that, it’s always going to come down really fast, it’s really efficient (it doesn’t infiltrate), and it’s going to have a lot of speed to it.”“In Utah, the ground is rock hard – it’s like a parking lot – it doesn’t have much vegetation if any and it’s really steep slopes,” said Brian McInerney, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. “The headwaters from this flash flood came down 2,000 feet and were only about two or three miles away from the town of Hildale. When you think of a drop like that, it’s always going to come down really fast, it’s really efficient (it doesn’t infiltrate), and it’s going to have a lot of speed to it.”
In Hildale and Colorado City’s gas stations and sandwich shops, conversations about Monday’s tragedy focused mostly on disaster response, but there was also significant talk about a cooling of tensions between members of the FLDS church and family and friends in town who are former followers of the sect.In Hildale and Colorado City’s gas stations and sandwich shops, conversations about Monday’s tragedy focused mostly on disaster response, but there was also significant talk about a cooling of tensions between members of the FLDS church and family and friends in town who are former followers of the sect.
Almost every resident of Short Creek was, or is, affiliated with the polygamous group that was famously run by self-proclaimed profit Warren Jeffs (currently serving a life sentence for child sexual assault).Almost every resident of Short Creek was, or is, affiliated with the polygamous group that was famously run by self-proclaimed profit Warren Jeffs (currently serving a life sentence for child sexual assault).
“The community members that are not in the faith are trying to show expressions of sympathy and love,” said Duane Barlow, a stout chested man who hadn’t spoken to family members in the church for three years. “The only way we can express it is through posters and flowers and things like that,” he said, referring to memorials around town. “I think it’s the beginning of a long-term reconciliation.” “The community members that are not in the faith are trying to show expressions of sympathy and love,” said Duane Barlow, a stout-chested man who hadn’t spoken to family members in the church for three years. “The only way we can express it is through posters and flowers and things like that,” he said, referring to memorials around town. “I think it’s the beginning of a long-term reconciliation.”
During search and rescue missions, people outside the church volunteered with cousins, brothers and sisters in the sect who they hadn’t spoken to in years, canvassing Short River together instead of staying to their separate sides of Hildale and Colorado City.During search and rescue missions, people outside the church volunteered with cousins, brothers and sisters in the sect who they hadn’t spoken to in years, canvassing Short River together instead of staying to their separate sides of Hildale and Colorado City.
“It’s too bad that it takes death to bring people together,” said Todd Barlow.“It’s too bad that it takes death to bring people together,” said Todd Barlow.
Asked about the detente, Darrin Bistline said, “I think it’s helped for a minute. I think it’s gonna go back how it was, quite honestly, but for this week we’ve been working together and everyone’s been doing what they can to recover the bodies.”Asked about the detente, Darrin Bistline said, “I think it’s helped for a minute. I think it’s gonna go back how it was, quite honestly, but for this week we’ve been working together and everyone’s been doing what they can to recover the bodies.”