VERDE VALLEY, AZ — Neighborhoods along the Verde River rushed to evacuate Sunday afternoon, as heavy rain pushed water into yards and onto properties.
Rain gauges in the area showed two to five inches of rain over the past 24 hours in some spots. In an update around 2:30 p.m., the Town of Clarkdale said river levels were still rising, setting up an emergency shelter at the Town Hall Clubhouse.
Floodwaters there were covered with decorations from Halloween the night before. ABC15 teams also saw the water carrying away U-Hauls and shipping crates.
Brian Kraklow lives along the river. He said the water started rising after his phone began sending alerts at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, and it kept coming up all day.
He said his family had to move horses, goats, and even a giant tortoise to safety, along with other animals on his ranch.
“We made one call to our church family, and they brought everybody. It’s been awesome. They’ve been helping left and right,” Kraklow said.
“It’s gonna be a tough rebuilding process after this. We bought the property, and it was in disarray, and we’ve done so much, and now we’re gonna be set back so far. To start over is gonna be tough, but we’re gonna do it," he reflected.
Francine Cardinale lives near the river and moved into her home in March.
“I completely put the most important things in my car immediately, and then I went and had lunch,” Cardinale said. “Usually you can’t see the river from here at all. So the police just came and said it’s time to go.”
Jim Mast has lived in his home along the Verde for over a decade, and has owned the orchard property across the street since 1993. He said police also came to his door telling him to leave Sunday afternoon.
“This will be the third time we’ve been evacuated in the 11 years that we’ve lived here,” Mast said. “It’s always been during the winter. Generally, if we get floods, it’s around February when there’s a snowpack up north with rain on top of it that melts the snow quickly and causes the flood. This is very, very unusual.”
Mast said water already covered about three-fourths of his orchard. He said officials didn’t say how long residents would be out, only that they could come back once the river starts to recede.
George Childs came back to his neighborhood Sunday for a family party, only to find the river higher than he had ever seen it. Childs, who has lived there since 2021, said he had only seen the water reach the wall before.
He said all he can do now is wait.
“Nobody can control any of this, but you know, we can just all say our prayers and do things together, come together, and help each other,” Childs said. “That’s the greatest thing that people can do for each other.”
In Cottonwood, the Verde River also reached beyond the road and into neighbors’ yards Sunday.
Eric Staats has lived at his property since 2002. He said after the flooding started, everyone was pitching in to help in the neighborhood, getting horses, pets, and dogs out.
“Everybody’s a little worried because we don’t know the damage yet, and we’re hoping it stops,” Staats said. “’Cause if it doesn’t, all of that ends up in there, and then that’s a whole different animal.”
The Verde Valley Fire District reported multiple flooding incidents across the region Sunday, and urged anyone in a flooded area to move to higher ground.
The rain will slow down into Monday. Washes and rivers in the area will still need time to recede below flood levels after that before visible improvements.
