A father is still missing and nine family members are dead after a massive flash flood ripped through a popular swimming hole in the Tonto National Forest last weekend.
Often referred to as Cold Springs, the area is a popular spot for people looking to escape the Arizona summer heat. The family members, all from Phoenix, were celebrating a birthday and relaxing along the stream banks when a six-foot high, 40-foot wide wave descended from upstream. The ages of the deceased range between 2 and 60 years old.
The Associated Press reported other swimmers and people in the area were clinging to trees as rescue crews arrived at the scene. As of Tuesday morning, crews and surviving family members were still searching for a missing man. His wife and three children were listed among the deceased.
A gofundme set up by a friend of the family to help with funeral costs can be reached at gofundme.com/please-help-out-hector-and-family. Roughly $56,000 of a $50,000 goal had been reached by Monday evening. The account appeared to have been closed at the time this issue of the Chronicle went to press, but many commenters and other friends of the family have been asking for it to be reopened so more people can donate.
Page-area residents are no strangers to flash flooding, as monsoon rains often affect the city and the countless canyons, washes and ingresses that surround it.
Perhaps the most infamous was a flash flood at Antelope Canyon that resulted in the deaths of 11 hikers.

Waters reached upwards of 11 feet high in the twisting, narrow walls of the canyon. Pancho Quintana, a guide with the group and one of two survivors from the tragedy, has since become a public figure and author. He has made numerous trips back to the Page area to pay respect to the lives lost and speak on the event.
In 2013 and 2014, flash flooding washed out the dirt road leading to the popular Chains swimming area on the southern shores of Lake Powell, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages.
Some of the worst flooding Page has ever seen occurred in summer 2012 when a cloudburst damaged several roads in the Ranchette Estates residential area.
The waters, which culminated off the mesa near the intersection of Lake Powell Boulevard and Highway 89, also destroyed the parking lot of the Maverik gas station.
And in October 2015, an El Nino-fueled downpour washed out portions of Highway 89 near Greenehaven in the early evening.
Although no injuries or major accidents occurred, one van was carried more than 40 feet when the driver was unable to detect the rushing water in the dead of night.
As we get later into the Arizona monsoon season (officially declared to occur between June 15 and Sept. 30 by the National Weather Service), the risks of flash floods become more pronounced. A flash flood warning has been issued by the National Weather Service at Marble Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Antelope Canyon, and Page until 8 p.m. tonight. Area residents should expect rains in the next couple days as a system moves in from the north.
The National Weather Service encourages a “don’t drown, turn around” outlook when encountering flooding on roadways. They warn that just 12 inches of moving floodwater is enough to carry away a small car and as little as six inches can knock down an adult. Never drive into a flooded roadway, no matter how slow the water appears to be moving.
If you decide to recreate anywhere where flash flooding is known to occur, especially within canyons or creek beds where the rains can culminate into a wall of moving water, a good rule of thumb is to stay up to date on all weather forecasts in the area.
The NWS encourages people not only check the weather for the location they will be in, but for miles upstream as well. Although flash floods can strike without any visual cues like cloud cover, lightning or rain, systematically scanning the horizon 360 degrees before leaving a safe location is also a good idea.
You can subscribe to live updates and severe weather notifications from the National Weather Service by downloading their app on your mobile phone.