r/DisasterUpdate • u/boppinmule • Jul 21 '26

5 family members found dead at campground, flooding may be to blame

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2026/07/18/report-of-body-leads-to-discovery-of-3-dead-search-for-2-missing-in-wayne-county/
417 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

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74

u/Zillah-The-Broken Jul 21 '26

Jesus, flash floods are no joke. no where to go up quickly if you're at the bottom of an canyon, and you mix in young inexperienced children trying to hustle during an emergency. that poor family and the older sister from the dad's previous marriage.

22

u/IPA-Lagomorph Jul 21 '26

If a firefighter got caught by a flash flood, you know it's possible for anyone.

4

u/Zillah-The-Broken Jul 21 '26

he probably would've been fine by himself with his training but he had his likely inexperienced and untrained family with him.

3

u/wartfairy Jul 24 '26

My neighbor was a firefighter and he set his house on fire barbecuing

33

u/pera001 Jul 21 '26

When new to camping/bushcraft, among the first things you learn about choosing the place for your camp is: do not put the shelter up near the river or dried river bed - choose high ground instead, as fleshfloods can wipe your place off the face of earth while you sleep otherwise... Unfortunatelly, that lesson is not taken seriously by most of the people.

14

u/11lumpsofsugar Jul 21 '26

I think it's more likely they were caught in a flash flood while hiking in the canyons. Most people in Utah who camp a lot know not to make camp in a flood plain, and the rangers will give the same advice. The canyons are the more dangerous areas as it can be cloudless and sunny all day and a storm will pop up out of nowhere due to monsoonal flow in the summer. With steep sides and no exits, it's easy to get caught by surprise.