More flooding hits Flagstaff area

FLAGSTAFF, AZ - Authorities say a girl has died after she was swept away by floodwaters in Flagstaff Tuesday afternoon.

Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kelli Most said 12-year-old Shaelyn Wilson fell into a wash south of White Vulcan Mine and her younger sister reported her missing.

Wilson's family notified search crews and authorities say the girl's body was located, pulled from the water and taken to Flagstaff Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

A storm system moving through northern Arizona has prompted the second Flash Flood Warning for the area in a week.

Gerry Blair with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office says his department received numerous calls regarding flooding and lightning strikes in the Flagstaff area.

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A Flagstaff Fire Department spokesman said the area received four inches of rain and the flooding, a result of the Schultz Fire, was like a raging river.

Blair said residents were being urged to head to higher ground. One resident said some neighbors in the Timberline area were taking refuge on top of their homes.

Joan Piwetz said she arrived home and heard a loud roar from the rushing water.

"It was the scariest thing to see a black, raging river," she said.

Piwetz said she grabbed her purse and 4-year-old son, got in her truck and got out safely. She left behind the family's ducks and chickens, doubting they had much of a chance to survive. Piwetz said she honked at other motorists along the highway to warn them to turn back.

She said she crossed through water 3 feet deep as she drove away from the community.

Coconino County Emergency Management officials are also warning Doney Park residents in the Sunset Crater Estates area east of N. Highway 89 to be prepared for flooding. They are being advised to pick up straw wattles and/or sandbags and place them around their residence. They can pick them up at the Summit Fire Station #33, at N. Hwy. 89 and Copeland Lane.
 

American Red Cross spokeswoman Tracey Kiest said 250 people have been evacuated from their homes and authorities are opening a shelter in the area for displaced residents.

Anyone wishing to donate to the organization's efforts in Flagstaff is encouraged to call 602-336-6660. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is also urging residents in the area to call their office at 928-774-4523 if they feel they are in danger.

Authorities shut down a portion of U.S. 89 because of the floodwaters, and dozens of motorists waited alongside the road for the water to recede. Others gathered in parking lots nearby.

The City of Flagstaff is reporting the inner basin waterline may have been compromised by Tuesday's flooding. City workers were expected to turn off wells at the inner basin. Authorities say that shutting off the water supply will not impact city water services.