Local
Floodwaters cut off Cave Springs Campground as about 65 people wait for access
Heavy rain pushed Oak Creek over the only bridge serving Cave Springs Campground, leaving about 65 people unable to leave. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said no one had requested an immediate evacuation and officials were coordinating a food drop.
About 65 people were stranded at Cave Springs Campground on Monday after heavy rain swelled Oak Creek and made the campground’s sole access bridge impassable, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
The campground is about 30 minutes north of Sedona. Rushing water and logs and other debris blocked the bridge, cutting off people inside and preventing others from getting across. Campers and a seasonal worker said the creek rose quickly; one kayaker described the moving debris as making conditions dangerous.
Steve Branch, a visitor from Denver, said he arrived Sunday evening and planned to leave Monday morning. Instead, he saw trees lodged on the crossing and concluded there was no safe way across. Seasonal worker Edgar Cano said he had worked in the area for 25 years and had not seen the water running that way before.
The sheriff’s office said it was in contact with the campground host. No one was seeking immediate evacuation at the time, but officials were working with multiple agencies to arrange a food drop. People on both sides of the creek were waiting for water levels to fall before the crossing could be used again.