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2 rescued, others evacuated in Mayer flash flooding

Posted at 7:15 PM, Jul 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-21 22:14:11-04

Two people had to be rescued and others evacuated after flash flooding in Mayer Wednesday night.

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said they evacuated the Chimney Ranch Trailer Park, as well as the Stage Coach Mobile Home Village after flood waters hit the area.

Daisy Mountain Fire spokesman Brent Fenton said they believe between 30 and 50 people are affected by the flash flooding situation at the Stage Coach trailer park.

Two people were rescued, but no one was washed away in the flood waters, according to Fenton.

YCSO warned residents on their Facebook page, saying flooding was "heading down the Agua Fria toward Black Canyon" as of 6:45 p.m. Anyone in the area was urged to reach higher ground immediately and warned that all low-water crossings are blocked.

Cheryl Strong and Mark Mills watched the storm from the roof of their trailer.

"It was already crossing the road so we raced back and got up on the roof because there was no other way out," they explained. "The creek down here was completely flooded."

Watching the flash flood unfold from their roof for several hours, they described the incident as "terrifying — absolutely terrifying."

"It was dark; full of debris," they said. "I couldn't hear anything because I was screaming. It pretty much sounded like a freight train coming through here."

Don Ridlon is helping his friend whose home filled with mud and water during the recent flood.

"He got about 6- to 8-inches of mud all the way through the house," Ridlon said. "The water was at least a foot deep. You can see where it all came in..."

Mark Hoover, 71, said his home was destroyed after several inches of mud filled the rooms of his home. For now, he's staying in a hotel.

"I have the neighbor's sheds in my backyard," Hoover said. "It just came all of a sudden — boom! It just all of a sudden went nuts."

"Got an extra room, anybody?" Hoover joked. "I have no idea what I'm going to do."

In addition to the flooding, the Mayer Water District is now warning all residents to boil their water until further notice. 

The Red Cross has set up a shelter for residents at Mayer High School at 17300 E. Mule Deer Drive. As of Wednesday night, 17 people registered at the shelter and 14 of them spent the night.