Supai Status?
Posted: Apr 06 2005 6:25 pm
Well, Supai Village has been hit with a lot of floods over recent years. We hadn't heard anything about them this time around until we noted a front page story in April 3's Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff).
It kinda indicates Supai got trashed yet again. We checked the Havasu trail logs and didn't see anything of any particular note.
Does anyone have a current "Supai Status" report they can share?
We tried to get the link for the story from the Daily Sun's website. No luck. So we actually transcribed the article. Whew, we're done working tonight!
Anyway, here it is:
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Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) - April 3, 2004, Page One
Headline: Flooding threatens welfare of Havasupai
Second head: Cropland that is nearly submerged and a damaged tourist trail to Havasu falls spell severe hardships this summer for the isolated tribe.
By Cindy Cole, Sun Staff Reporter
Deep in Havasu Canyon, the Havasupai Tribe is rebuilding trails, irrigatioin systems and the beach of Havasu Falls, trying to shore up eroding land in Supai Village before it claims homes.
The cost of rebuilding will run into the millions and is expected to be at least partially reimbursed by federal agencies, said Roland Manakaja, natural and cultural resources director for the tribe.
But meanwhile, the tribe is worried that a nearly washed-out foot trail to the village will cut tourist...(Continued on Page A11)
...(Continued from the Front Page)
visits this summer and too much water will spoil the growing season for squash tomatoes and other crops.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us," he said.
The tribe, which numbers about 400 to 450 members in the village, relies on income from thousands of tourists as the base of its economy.
Farming is also a staple.
There's still standing water in some places from floods that hit in December, January and February, and the soil has been washed away in spots, leaving sand where cropland once was, Manakaja said.
"There's more erosion this year than ever before," he said.
Which is saying a lot. The village was evacuated in 1990, 1993, and 1997 due to flooding that some locals believe marred previously azure-blue springs.
Now Manakaja has had 50-Foot-Falls rediverted due to flooding and has just finished rebuilding the beach on Havasu falls. He is working on repairing the irrigation system, culverts and covering exposed wiring with a reconstruction staff of 13 that he hopes to expand to 23.
If the rain gets heavy again, gashes of erosion caused by the flooding will creep under houses and power transformers, pulling them down, Manakaja said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency teams have surveyed the area after two of the floods and recommended emergency measures to upgrade trails and bridges, water contol facilities and utilities.
The tribe declared a state of emergency after February's floods. The governor requested $228,000 from President Bush for the Havasupai Tribe. That request has yet to be approved.
The flooding has made the foot and pack animal trail in and out of the village -- the only route besides helicopter -- difficult although passable.
With the tourist season just around the corner, this could prompt the tribe to put some work into permanent structures along the trail, such as cables and erosion control landscaping.
-30-
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Note #1: The article was transcribed "as is." Missing punctuation was not inserted. We transcribed it the way it appeared in the paper.
Note #2: You can find a lot on Google about prior floods by simply googling for "havasupai flood damage" and the various permutations of those keywords.
j
It kinda indicates Supai got trashed yet again. We checked the Havasu trail logs and didn't see anything of any particular note.
Does anyone have a current "Supai Status" report they can share?
We tried to get the link for the story from the Daily Sun's website. No luck. So we actually transcribed the article. Whew, we're done working tonight!
Anyway, here it is:
------------
Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) - April 3, 2004, Page One
Headline: Flooding threatens welfare of Havasupai
Second head: Cropland that is nearly submerged and a damaged tourist trail to Havasu falls spell severe hardships this summer for the isolated tribe.
By Cindy Cole, Sun Staff Reporter
Deep in Havasu Canyon, the Havasupai Tribe is rebuilding trails, irrigatioin systems and the beach of Havasu Falls, trying to shore up eroding land in Supai Village before it claims homes.
The cost of rebuilding will run into the millions and is expected to be at least partially reimbursed by federal agencies, said Roland Manakaja, natural and cultural resources director for the tribe.
But meanwhile, the tribe is worried that a nearly washed-out foot trail to the village will cut tourist...(Continued on Page A11)
...(Continued from the Front Page)
visits this summer and too much water will spoil the growing season for squash tomatoes and other crops.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us," he said.
The tribe, which numbers about 400 to 450 members in the village, relies on income from thousands of tourists as the base of its economy.
Farming is also a staple.
There's still standing water in some places from floods that hit in December, January and February, and the soil has been washed away in spots, leaving sand where cropland once was, Manakaja said.
"There's more erosion this year than ever before," he said.
Which is saying a lot. The village was evacuated in 1990, 1993, and 1997 due to flooding that some locals believe marred previously azure-blue springs.
Now Manakaja has had 50-Foot-Falls rediverted due to flooding and has just finished rebuilding the beach on Havasu falls. He is working on repairing the irrigation system, culverts and covering exposed wiring with a reconstruction staff of 13 that he hopes to expand to 23.
If the rain gets heavy again, gashes of erosion caused by the flooding will creep under houses and power transformers, pulling them down, Manakaja said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency teams have surveyed the area after two of the floods and recommended emergency measures to upgrade trails and bridges, water contol facilities and utilities.
The tribe declared a state of emergency after February's floods. The governor requested $228,000 from President Bush for the Havasupai Tribe. That request has yet to be approved.
The flooding has made the foot and pack animal trail in and out of the village -- the only route besides helicopter -- difficult although passable.
With the tourist season just around the corner, this could prompt the tribe to put some work into permanent structures along the trail, such as cables and erosion control landscaping.
-30-
-------
Note #1: The article was transcribed "as is." Missing punctuation was not inserted. We transcribed it the way it appeared in the paper.
Note #2: You can find a lot on Google about prior floods by simply googling for "havasupai flood damage" and the various permutations of those keywords.
j
