Nine people and one dog rescued from Sedona roof after 3-hour wait

Rising floodwaters on Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona, forced a helicopter rescue involving nine people and one dog on Sunday. The water rose rapidly enough that officials ordered residents near the creek bed to leave immediately, trapping multiple families in their homes.

Alexander Dale and his wife were among those stranded. Their home and several Airbnbs they manage sit directly next to the creek. Dale said the couple did not know where to go and could not move. They climbed onto the roof with about nine of their guests. The group waited approximately three hours for a helicopter to arrive.

A question arose during the rescue operation about whether the family’s dog could be lifted. Dale recalled the pilot telling him, “Well, we don’t have a harness for a K-9, so I don’t know if we can take him.” The couple decided against leaving the animal behind. They retrieved three harnesses from their home and strapped them all together on the dog.

“We put like three of them on him and strapped it all together,” Dale said. He and the dog were lifted out in the same lift. Dale described sitting in his harness while holding the dog. “I was sitting in this harness basically holding my dog, praying he doesn’t go anywhere,” he said.

Other residents in the area evacuated with minimal belongings. Cindy Wilmer, a schoolteacher living at Red Rock Crossing, left with the shirt on her back, her school keys, and her cat. “The water was just roaring down the street,” Wilmer said. She expressed worry about the condition of her house.

Fernando Leon also evacuated from his home on Oak Creek. He feared the property would be a total loss. “I opened the door and I saw the river, and I said, ‘Whoa, I need to get out of here,’” Leon said. He noted the sadness of having to leave everything behind after a single day of normalcy.

By Sunday afternoon, the heavy rains had largely stopped in the Sedona area. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air rescue crews assisted with rooftop evacuations. State transportation crews helped clear debris. No injuries or deaths were immediately reported.