Yavapai County Rescues Continue as High Water Threatens Communities

Emergency responders carried out multiple water rescues in Yavapai County as flooding threatened communities near waterways carrying runoff south from northern Arizona. Although floodwaters were receding, elevated water levels continued to pose a threat along the county’s creeks, streams and rivers.

Prescott remained under a state of emergency on Nov. 3, officials said. The city had avoided the extent of flooding experienced elsewhere in Yavapai County, but its local waterways were still running high. Along Granite Creek, business owners watched water levels as the effects of the flooding reached nearby streets.

In Cornville, deputies and Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers worked through powerful currents to reach people stranded in flooded houses. They secured ropes to trees and used them while wading and swimming toward the residents. The rescue effort required crews to move through the floodwater to reach those unable to get out.

After bringing a woman to safety, responders learned that a second person was still inside the same home. Crews returned to reach the man, then used a kayak to carry him out of the flooded area. The operation was among the water rescues conducted across the county.

The American Red Cross opened shelters across Yavapai County, offering meals and other resources to people displaced by the flooding. Volunteer David Leinweber said the situation at his location had not gone beyond Level 2, and the shelter had not seen people fleeing there. A family from Ash Fork, however, had spent time at the shelter.

Leinweber said the shelters would stay open to help residents who continued to need support. That included people who had been unable to leave their homes earlier and still required assistance as floodwaters receded.

In Prescott, LazyG Brewhouse owner Jim Bellington described Granite Creek overflowing its banks and sending water down Granite Street. Recalling conditions on Nov. 2, he said he had seen more water than at any other point in the previous 20 years. He estimated the creek was running roughly 6 to 7 feet above its usual level.

Despite water extending into the roadway near his business, Bellington said it did not enter the restaurant. Long-time residents also reported that local waterways had reached levels they had not seen in decades.