GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Family members have identified a hiker who died in weekend flooding in the Grand Canyon as a Texas chiropractor and said two other men who took his dream trip remain missing. John Giusti and his friends planned to spend two nights at the bottom of the canyon fishing and exploring. They spoke to their families on Thursday and found their camp on Friday. They have not been heard from since, the three families said in a joint statement released Monday. Searchers in the air and on the ground continue to search for Brent Rosenkranz and Timothy Smith, their families said. Rescuers searching for missing people have found at least two bodies since a massive flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon, and forecasters warned Monday that more flooding was possible as heavy rain blanketed the canyon walls. More than a dozen people were missing after waves of rain in the Bright Angel Creek area of Grand Canyon National Park, which receives 4.4 million visitors a year. Saturday’s flash flood severely damaged the only water main to the canyon. Authorities banned tourists from staying in lodges and hotels within Grand Canyon National Park and issued emergency water restrictions for residents year-round. The flood threatened people walking to the Grand Canyon. This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, August 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding the day before. (Craig Sanderson via AP) This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding the day before. (Craig Sanderson via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more The flooding occurred deep in the canyon near where the Colorado River flows, around popular lodges and camping areas where people hiking from one rim to the other of the Grand Canyon stop for the night. Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated from the area by helicopter. They told of a massive flood and rangers warning of rockfalls, and seeing huge puddles of logs and debris rolling down the river as they waited nearby for rescue. Hiker Daniel Evans said it rained several times before the worst 30-minute downpour Saturday afternoon. I had been planning to rest during the hot day and spend the night near the hard-hit Bright Angel campground. Earlier, rangers told him it looked safe. Then, as the rain poured down, they told him it was time to leave. He thought of Nepal and the massive floods and landslides that devastated the mountain valleys last week. “The whole time it was raining, the whole time I was going through all this and packing up, I just kept my eyes upstream, just praying that a wall of water wouldn’t come toward us,” Evans said. Two bodies found and still more missing The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday night near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details. On Monday, crews were attempting to recover a second body, park officials said in an email that did not provide further details. More than a dozen people remained missing and officials urged anyone who was in the park when the flooding occurred to contact park rangers or anyone else to let them know they are safe. More rain fell Monday morning as the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs coordinated with the park service and county emergency management officials on search and recovery efforts. It’s ‘monsoon season’ in the Grand Canyon Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. Visiting the Grand Canyon can be particularly dangerous in the summer due to the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon or rainy season. Clear days can quickly give way to thunderstorms and downpours. Forecasters warned that more flooding could occur on Monday or almost any time storms emerge. Bright Angel Creek near Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, after flash flooding from storms, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Parth Desai via AP) Bright Angel Creek near Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, after flash flooding from storms, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Parth Desai via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more Rain also fell on part of the Dragon Bravo Fire scar, a burned area left by a wildfire sparked by lightning in July 2025. It burned for days before exploding in a fast-moving conflagration that forced evacuations and consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, some cabins and other structures. AP AUDIO: More storms possible in the Grand Canyon, where a flash flood killed 1 person and left 15 missing. More storms are possible in the Grand Canyon after a deadly flash flood. AP correspondent Mike Hempen reports. Without vegetation, a barren burn scar allows runoff to flow more quickly. The steep, rocky nature of the canyon channels water quickly. What might be a normal summer downpour elsewhere can turn into a wall of water in the canyon. El Niño makes this year’s desert monsoons especially intense. People stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (AP Photo/John Locher) People stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (AP Photo/John Locher) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more This year’s heavy monsoon rains are especially intense because there is more water vapor in the atmosphere, primarily due to a strong El Niño, said A. Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Natural warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean can alter global climate. That extra water vapor in the southwestern U.S. is squeezed out by the storm as rain, he said. The link between human-caused climate change and Arizona’s heavy rains is quite strong, said climatologist Daniel Swain of the California Water Resources Institute. A few months ago, Swain and his colleagues published a study in the journal Weather and Climate Extremes that found that during the summer, short-term heavy rains in the West, similar to those that hit the Grand Canyon, have become 10% stronger since then. 2000. Flood affects water supply in canyon The flood was a serious blow to a long-standing effort to modernize the water main that serves visitors and the approximately 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village. A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and improvements to the associated water supply system began in 2023, and the park service called it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year. While the Grand Canyon has large drinking water storage tanks on the South Rim, they will not be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.___Stengle reported from Dallas. Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Julie Walker in New York City, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.
