Hiker missing after getting swept into Grand Canyon creek during flash flood: NPS

A 33-year-old woman has been missing since Thursday following a flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park, officials said.

Search and rescue operations are underway for Chenoa Nickerson, of Gilbert, Arizona, after she was swept into a creek Thursday afternoon during a flash flood, according to the National Park Service.

The flash flood struck Havasu Creek shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time Thursday, the NPS said.

The flash flood "led to several hikers being stranded in the affected area," the NPS said in a press release on Friday.

A rescue flight helped people who were stranded below and above Beaver Falls, though Nickerson remains missing, the NPS said. She was swept into the creek approximately a half mile above the Colorado River confluence and was not wearing a life jacket, the NPS said.

Nickerson was last seen wearing a black tank top, black shorts and blue hiking boots, according to a missing person flyer. She is described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on her is asked to contact the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Coconino County on Thursday, including along and around the Havasu Creek basin.

The Grand Canyon's Preventive Search and Rescue team assisted 455 hikers in 2023, according to the Grand Canyon Conservancy.