FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, August 24: FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — In his first official action as Chair of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) on Thursday, August 24, Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez authorized an official emergency resolution regarding the flooding in the community of Tusayan that occurred on Tuesday of this week. In adopting this resolution, the Board is authorizing County Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office to issue further shelter in place or evacuation orders should another significant rainfall event affect this community.

It also assists with requests for State and Federal assistance to aid in the clean up and repairs to public infrastructure. Tuesday’s storm produced an estimated three inches of rainfall in less than one hour, concentrated over a wash east of Tusayan.

The wash was soon overwhelmed, flooding the Grand Canyon gateway community with up to three feet of water by 5 p.m. that evening. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, and Flood Control District staff arrived soon after to assess the situation and assist the Town of Tusayan in setting up a local incident command center. A temporary order to boil tap water for drinking has been lifted after testing confirmed no bacterial contamination present.

With more inclement weather in the forecast, the Board strongly recommend residents throughout the County prepare for the possibility of a “shelter in place” or evacuation order, an extended period of power outage, or the inability to access homes, and to prepare an emergency kit that contains clothes, medicines, and important documents for each member of the family and household pets to last a minimum of 72 hours.

Residents should also prepare an emergency plan that includes a means to alert family members and a plan to move pets and/or livestock to safety. All residents are also encouraged to know their neighborhood’s evacuation zone and register for emergency notifications at http://coconino.az.gov/ready.