Grand Canyon flood deaths lead to questions about alert system

A search and rescue operation is expected to continue Tuesday to find the last person missing in flash flooding that hit parts of the Grand Canyon over the weekend — as questions arise about whether people could have been warned sooner.

At least two people died in the major flash floods. One was identified by his family as Dr. John Giusti, a 46-year-old chiropractor from Granbury, Texas. His friend, Brent Rosenkranz, 42, was also killed, according to a family spokesperson. A third friend, Timothy Allen Smith, 53, was still missing as of Monday night, his family said.

Officials said at a press conference Monday night that an alert system had been installed in Bright Angel Creek, where the weekend’s catastrophic flash flooding occurred. The system was installed in the aftermath of a wildfire last year that left the area particularly susceptible to this type of disaster by making the mountainsides essentially water repellent.

The system is made up of a series of river gauges, designed to send out an alert when water levels in the creek reach a certain point. Brian Drapeaux, acting superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, said the system did alert officials to rising levels in the creek on Saturday. But it proceeded to “go offline” as the situation “progressed down the creek and picked up speed and destructive force,” he added.

Drapeaux said whether the alert gauges were knocked out by floodwaters or something else was still unclear. 

“They were working and then they weren’t working,” he said. “We’re not sure why – whether it was the debris flow that knocked them out of service or whether it was some other factor that put them offline.”

Officials say this was the most devastating flash flood in the park in recent memory. CBS News asked if anyone saw a flash flood of this magnitude coming, given that the area saw over 5 inches of rain in 48 hours. 

“I will follow up with you on your question,” said Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Department of Interior. “We don’t have the weather service with us.”

CBS News had not received an answer as of Tuesday morning. 

Eighty-two people were evacuated from the canyon, some by helicopter, as waters began to rise. For many, like Steve Kramer, it was the pounding rain and crumbling canyon sides that alerted them. 

“Ground around us started flooding up and filling with water coming off of the canyon,” said Kramer. “All the people down in the canyon, there’s just nowhere to go.”

The flash floods also severely damaged the major water pipeline in the park, which means there is only about two weeks of water left as the area enters peak wildfire season, according to officials.