Grand Canyon flooding: Family identifies Texas man among those killed in flash flood as rescuers search for missing

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The bodies of a Texas chiropractor and at least one other person have been found after a major weekend flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon, and forecasters warned more flooding was possible as heavy rain shrouded the canyon walls.

Saturday’s flash flood severely damaged the only water pipeline into the canyon. Officials barred tourists from staying at lodges and hotels inside Grand Canyon National Park and issued emergency water restrictions for year-round residents.

More than a dozen hikers, including two on a dream trip with their chiropractor friend, remain missing Monday following waves of rain in the Bright Angel Creek area of the tourist destination that hosts 4.4 million visitors a year.

The flood threatened people who hike far into the Grand Canyon

The flood happened deep in the canyon near where the Colorado River flows, around popular lodges and camping areas where people hiking from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other stop for the night.

Scores of visitors had to be evacuated from the area by helicopter. They talked of a massive deluge and rangers warning of rockslides, and saw huge pools of logs and debris rolling down the river as they stood nearby awaiting rescue.

Hiker Daniel Evans said it rained several times before the worst 30-minute downpour Saturday afternoon. He had been planning to rest through the hot day and spend the night near the hard-hit Bright Angel campground area.

Earlier, rangers told him it looked to be safe. Then, as the rain poured, they told him it was time to go. He thought of Nepal and the massive floods and landslides that poured down mountain valleys last week.

“The entire time it was raining – the entire time I’m going through all this and packing – I’m just keeping my eyes upstream, just praying that a wall of water isn’t coming toward us,” Evans said.

One hiker killed is identified as rescuers search for his friends

The family of John Giusti, 53, said the Texas chiropractor set out Thursday on a trip he dreamed of with two buddies – spending two nights at the bottom of the canyon fishing and hiking.

They spoke to their families Thursday and found their campsite Friday. They have not been heard from since, the three families said in a joint statement released Monday.

Searchers on the air and ground continue to look for Texas martial arts studio owner Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and Wyoming pilot Timothy Smith, 53, their families said.

All three men had ties to Granbury, Texas. In a joint statement, their families said they planned “several days of hiking, camping, fishing and exploring together.”

In the statement, Giusti’s family described him as a devoted father of three and a “real-life superhero.”

John was a husband, devoted father of three daughters and chiropractor whose family describes him as a real-life superhero.

He poured himself into helping others and brought tremendous energy to everything he loved. He was an avid runner, loved fast cars and was a passionate fan of comic books and their legendary heroes. But among all the roles John carried, his family says his favorite was being a father. Exploring the Grand Canyon was a longtime dream for John.

“To the community, he was a gifted healer. To his friends, a powerhouse of life. To his daughters, he was their ultimate hero. To me, he was my whole world,” his wife, Janet Giusti, said. The Giusti family is deeply grateful for the love, prayers and support surrounding them as they grieve this unimaginable loss.

Park officials said they recovered the body of a 46-year-old man Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River and were trying to recover a second body. Their email provided no other details.

More than a dozen people remained missing and officials urged anyone who was in the park when the flood happened to contact park rangers or anyone else to let them know they are OK.

Late Monday morning more rain fell as the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs was coordinating with the park service and county emergency management officials in search and recovery efforts.

It’s ‘monsoon season’ in the Grand Canyon

Visiting the Grand Canyon can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can quickly give way to thunderstorms and downpours. Forecasters warned more flooding could happen Monday or just about any time storms pop up.

Rain also fell on part of the Dragon Bravo fire scar, a burn area left by a lightning-caused wildfire in July 2025. It burned for days before exploding into a fast-moving conflagration that forced evacuations and consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, some cabins and other structures.

Without vegetation, a barren burn scar allows runoff to flow more quickly.

The steep, rocky nature of the canyon itself funnels water rapidly. What might be a normal summer downpour somewhere else can become a charging wall of water in the canyon.

El Nino has this year’s monsoons in the desert especially intense

This year’s heavy monsoon rains are especially intense because there is a higher amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, mostly because of a strong El Nino, said A. Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The natural warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean can warp weather globally. That extra water vapor in the southwest U.S. gets wrung out in the storm in the form of rainfall, he said.

The link to human-caused climate change and the heavy Arizona rain is pretty strong, said climate scientist Daniel Swain of the California Institute for Water Resources.

A few months ago, Swain and colleagues published a study in the journal Weather and Climate Extremes finding that during the summer, short-term intense downpours in the West – akin to the one that hit the Grand Canyon – have become 10% stronger since 2000.

The flood hits water supply in the canyon

The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the water pipeline that serves visitors and the roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.

A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.

While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won’t be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.

___

Stengle reported from Dallas. Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Julie Walker in New York City, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.