Floodwater Surges Through Yards as Swollen Creek Bursts Its Banks in Arizona

Fast-moving muddy floodwater rushed through a yard in Cornville, in Arizona’s Oak Creek Valley, on Sunday, November 1, as Oak Creek burst its banks after heavy rain.

Footage filmed from an elevated deck by the father of X user Sandi Van Lieu, and shared by her, shows brown water surging past, partly submerging a split-rail fence. A tree stump and a decorative metal windmill stand in the flow, with lumber lodged against the windmill, while houses sit just above the water.

“Cornville in front my dad’s house. I’m not sure they could evacuate even if they wanted to,” Van Lieu wrote.

Oak Creek at Cornville reached 16.93 feet on Sunday evening, more than double its flood stage of 8 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, which warned that residential yards would be flooded.

Upstream in Sedona, the city moved neighbourhoods along Oak Creek in Evacuation Zones 8, 9 and 10 to “GO” status on Sunday morning, urging residents to leave immediately. At least 19 homes were evacuated, and firefighters called in extra crews to carry out an “excessive amount” of water rescues, AZFamily reported.