Heavy Rain from Hurricane Rosa are Threatening Menagers Dam in Arizona

Flooding from remnants of Hurricane Rosa raised concerns Tuesday after floodwaters rendered roads impassable for the Menagers Dam community near Sells, Arizona, and many residents were evacuated due to “uncertainty over the integrity of the dam,” officials said.

The rainfall from Hurricane Rosa produced “unprecedented levels of flooding on the Tohono O’odham Nation, particularly in the vicinity of the Menagers Dam Community,” the Tohono O’odham Nation said in a statement.

Tohono O’odham Nation has asked Menagers Dam residents to move as far to the north end of the community as possible because of rising floodwaters and to avoid the area for the next 24 hours.

The tribe’s Office of Emergency Management is working to evacuate residents and is coordinating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Pima County Swift Water Rescue teams for assistance, Tohono O’odham Nation officials said.

It’s unclear how many Menagers Dam residents have been evacuated.

In a statement, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said Wednesday: “I am closely monitoring developments impacting the community of Ali Chuk, Arizona, which was displaced by flooding on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Over 100 tribal members were evacuated when the Menagers Dam was overwhelmed by remnants of Hurricane Rosa.”

Kyl said his office has been in touch with local officials. The statement said the dam is 22 feet high and was constructed in the 1920s.

The Tohono O’odham Nation emergency services also evacuated more than 30 members of the tribe’s Kohatk Village in Pinal County because of  the water in an adjacent wash “running extremely high and continuing to overflow the berms to flood the community,” officials said.

As of Wednesday morning, there were no updates on the area’s status.

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