The Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA), at the request of the Havasupai community, responded to flooding, August 2024. One UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter arrived to begin evacuation of tribal community members and tourists visiting the falls.

An Arizona Army National Guard crew of five evacuated 104 people from Supai village. Flight medic Staff Sgt. Louis Mirabelli jumped at the opportunity to assist.

“State missions are what we are here for,” he said.

An Arizona Pinetop firefighter and paramedic, Mirabelli explained this type of mission is why he signed up to be a citizen-soldier.

“They give us [Guardsmen] the opportunity to serve our communities and for me, and many of my medic buddies, the opportunity to utilize our civilian-trained skillset in bigger ways,” said Mirabelli, who joined in 2017 after learning from his firefighter coworkers that his training could be put to greater use.

Since joining, Mirabelli has done just that — serving on the state COVID response mission, fire response effort, and overseas — deploying as a flight medic to Kosovo.

On August 23, DEMA was requested by Coconino County and the Havasupai Tribe to begin evacuating those stuck in the canyon. Immediately, DEMA Emergency Management and Joint Task Force divisions jumped into action to determine the resources available.

“I got the call that we needed a crew to support,” said Sgt. 1st Class Gabe Bofman, crew chief. “I was supposed to be on leave, but when there is a call for help, I couldn’t turn that down.”

Bofman and his wife recently welcomed their third child, still on paternity leave after the birth. “My wife is supportive and understands,” he continued, “I couldn’t help my community without her support.”

Aircrews staffing and flight plans were complete Friday afternoon when the mission came to an unexpected halt.

“That’s the frustrating part of our job and for those expecting support,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Symmes, pilot-in-command. “There are so many moving pieces to an operation. There are times when we have to stop and make sure we are taking the right steps. The last thing we need is to put evacuees and our crew at risk.”

After careful coordination with our partners and receiving the official ‘go’ to begin, the aircrew arrived in Supai village for their first pick-up, on August 23 at approximately 7:30 p.m. There were 44 people rescued that night by the UH-60 in four aircraft lifts. Over 60 would remain in Supai village overnight.

“Crew rest had to be considered. We are trained and proficient in our night tasks, but rest is necessary to keep our skills sharp and everyone safe,” said Maj. Neal Jelsma, co-pilot. “While we wish we could have continued, we couldn’t risk our passenger’s safety.”

For one crew member, crew rest was especially important.

“I love my full-time career and have been working hard to excel. This weekend would have been my first full weekend off this month,” said Sgt. Coemgen Cluff, crew chief, who works for Salt River Project (SRP) as a metal fabricator apprentice in his civilian career.

This was Cluff’s first emergency response mission. When asked how he felt about the opportunity to serve the Havasupai community, he thoughtfully paused, “It’s amazing, I really wanted to help. There was no way I was going to say no and I’m so thankful that my employers supported me stepping away to assist.”

The next morning evacuees stood eagerly awaiting their turn to depart. Cheering began after Mirabelli’s safety brief concluded and would continue throughout the morning as people were secured in their seats and again as they departed the aircraft.

Through Saturday afternoon, 60 additional people would be evacuated from Supai village.

DEMA was just one of many players in a multi-agency rescue and evacuation effort. The teamwork conducted, and ongoing coordination reflects how local, tribal, state, and federal resources strengthen response in times of crisis.

The Havasupai community continues to respond to the flooding impact and local efforts to find the missing Arizona resident swept away by the floods are still underway. There have been no further requests for Arizona National Guard support.

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