Several homes flooded ln Hildale, Colorado City after flash floods hit southern Utah

COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — A massive cleanup is underway in southern Utah after flash floods hit Washington and Kane Counties.

Communities from Hildale to Springdale and into Zion National Park were covered in mud and debris following thunderstorms Tuesday.

Pictures and videos of the aftermath showed the roadway at the entrance to Zion broken, with large boulders scattered and road signs bent and submerged in water.

KSL’s Chopper 5 got an aerial view of the damage, which showed mud covering the entrance of the park. You could also see buses, RVs and trucks, as well as nearby businesses, stuck in the mud.

Ruby Williams said she couldn’t believe how fast nature was Tuesday.

“We haven’t seen rain for months, but when we finally got some, it came down so fast that nobody was really prepared for it,” the Colorado City, Arizona resident said. 

In an instant, the skies over Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, opened up. The rain fell, but the riverbeds couldn’t handle so much water all at once. 

https://twitter.com/KSL_AlexCabrero/status/1410079574071734277

“I went through the creek over here and I saw the rolling waves coming through the creek and I thought, ‘Oh yeah, we’re in for some flooding,'” Williams said. 

Her home and several others in the area were flooded. 

The overwhelming amount of water also closed streets. 

For a few minutes, you couldn’t blame residents if they stopped praying for rain. 

“Everybody got answered today,” said Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop. “It turned into a gully-washer.” 

 Jessop said it was quite a sight. 

“It came down fast and furious. We were at 92 degrees, and it dropped to 51 within 15 minutes, and all of our roads turned into rivers,” she said.

So far, Mark Gower with the Colorado City Marshal’s office says there are no reports of injuries and everyone has been accounted for. pic.twitter.com/DnIcKPGsQq

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) June 29, 2021

Fortunately, there were no reports of any injuries. The floods only left damage, which Williams said can be fixed in time.

“It was a mess and it still is, but we just have to give it some time to dry and we can clean it up,” she said.

Flash floods hit several parts of southern Utah during Tuesday’s thunderstorm.

KSL Meteorologist Brett Benson said Colorado City and parts of Zion National Park received over 1 inch of rain.