Floodwaters swept through Flagstaff once again Tuesday as county officials marked a “200 to 500 year rainfall event.”
County data estimated 3.07 inches of rain fell on one part of the Museum Fire Burn Scar yesterday afternoon.
As rainfall subsided, “the entire burn scar was saturated, resulting in the largest rainfall event-to-date,” a statement from Coconino County says.
The flooding prompted delays on East Route 66 and forced a closure on Fourth St. and Butler Ave, according to Flagstaff city officials. Parts of Cedar Avenue experienced heavy backups Tuesday afternoon. The Killip Elementary School announced a closure for Wednesday after documenting heavy mud and lingering floodwaters within its own hallways.
Residents and volunteers, meanwhile, gathered to clear mud and debris.
Randy Miller, a pastor at Northland Baptist Church, was one of several volunteers who showed up outside the Ponderosa Baptist Church in Sunnyside.
Miller took a break from digging out mud and recalled when a previous flooding event occurred near his own residence north of the city. First responders, he said, had assisted him then.
“It was a very tearful and joyful thing that somebody came along to help,” he said. “If you can help, not everybody can ... but if you can help, and you can lend a hand, especially to a neighbor, or someone you know, I think it’s a great thing to do.”
Sandbags remain available at the Coconino High School south parking lot and outside the Coconino County Health and Human Services Building.
A Flash Flood Warning expired Tuesday afternoon for Sunnyside and Mount Elden Estates. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the entirety of Flagstaff today — along with areas including Williams, Tuba City, Supai and Keams Canyon — expiring at 11 p.m. on Wednesday.