Two powerful weather systems unleashed a torrent of rain over unsuspecting tourists.
Two hundred tourists had to be evacuated from the Grand Canyon via helicopter Thursday after two powerful weather systems unleashed a torrential downpour in Arizona.
Some were forced to seek high ground as flash floods turned streams into rivers.
The remote Havasu Falls area of the Grand Canyon, which is part of the Havasupai Tribe reservation, took the brunt of the storms. The area is expected to remain closed for seven to 10 days due to the severe flooding.
Many campers in the area spent the night in community buildings before being helicoptered out.
Some stayed behind to help those in trouble, however. Brian Volk, a member of a Facebook group dedicated to hikers in the Havasupai area, said his wife told him of the selflessness she witnessed.
"The hiking community has me speechless," Volk noted in a Facebook post. "Some of the hikers who went through the ordeal last night are offering to stay and help, rather than be evacuated. Imagine scrambling in fear for your life, losing your wallet, clothes, packs, sleeping in cramped conditions with only the clothes on your back. Then offering to stay and help."
No one was seriously injured.
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