Search efforts are ongoing in Yavapai County for a 70-year-old man who was swept away by floodwaters in Cordes Lakes on Tuesday. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office reported that around 3 p.m., calls came in about a vehicle being overtaken by floodwaters at Big Bug Creek. Deputies at the scene saw two men, including the driver, holding onto the car’s trunk before it was carried further downstream, FOX10 Phoenix reports.
Rescue teams were able to save one man who had been trying to help the driver, but the 70-year-old was swept away along with the vehicle. The car was later found about two miles downstream, lodged against a tree with doors and windows damaged by the floodwaters, according to a statement obtained by ABC 15.
The missing driver, a Cordes Lakes resident, has prompted family and community members to become involved in the search. A family member confirmed he left home around 3 p.m. but did not reach his destination. His identity has not been released. Local search and rescue teams, along with fire units, are continuing to comb the banks of Big Bug Creek and the Agua Fria River for any signs of the man.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has advised the public to stay away from Big Bug Creek due to dangerous floodwaters and to allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations safely. The ongoing storm system has also prompted water rescues in nearby areas, including Tonopah and Wickenburg. “Each time the hour passes, it’s been past 24 hours,” said Dilaila Apodaca, the niece of the missing man, to FOX10 Phoenix.
