Two highways reopen, but Sedona evacuees still lack an all-clear

Two highway reopenings have eased Arizona’s flood-disrupted travel—but neither gives evacuated Sedona families an all-clear. Interstate 17 reopened in both directions Sunday afternoon, November 1, after hours-long closures. State Route 260 near Pinetop-Lakeside reopened around 4:30 p.m. Arizona time. Local street access, a safe route to shelter and permission to return home remain separate, unresolved questions. ⁷

In our November 1 broadcast, we reported immediate evacuations in Sedona’s east-side Zones 8, 9 and 10 as Oak Creek rose rapidly, along with reports of people trapped inside homes. The highway reopenings are the material change since that account. They restore important connections across the region; they do not establish that streets within the evacuation zones are passable or that the GO instruction has been lifted. The county alert corroborates the three-zone evacuation, but no verified lifting or replacement order is available. ⁸

The earlier I-17 restrictions stopped northbound traffic at State Route 179 and southbound traffic near Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, at milepost 337. AZFamily’s earlier November 1 closure account was superseded by afternoon reopening reports from FOX 10 Phoenix and other local outlets. AZFamily’s updated article also confirms that all lanes reopened in both directions. This is a change over time, not a disagreement about whether the interstate remains closed. ^{7 4}

The available accounts support an afternoon reopening, not an exact official minute when traffic resumed. KNAU’s 2:19 p.m. MST update already described all lanes as reopened; ABC15 placed the transportation department’s announcement just before 3 p.m. Publication and announcement times should not be mistaken for a verified traffic-resumption time. ^{48 29}

SR 260 had been closed by flooding near Pinetop-Lakeside at milepost 350. FOX 10’s earlier November 1 account still listed that restriction; AZFamily’s updated report says the highway reopened around 4:30 p.m. That later development supersedes the closed status. ^{4 7}

Three other routes remained on AZFamily’s updated closure list, without estimated reopening times. Their present status has not been independently established through a timestamped transportation-authority incident record. They should be described as reported restrictions—not a verified list of roads still closed at this moment. ⁷

The restriction most directly tied to the Oak Creek corridor was SR 89A in both directions between Sedona and Kachina Village, mileposts 375–397. That is a 22-mile span toward the Flagstaff area, not every part of SR 89A. No verified reopening time or authorized evacuation detour is available for that segment. ⁷

The other listed restrictions were SR 73 between Indian Pine and Whiteriver, mileposts 351–357, and SR 238 between Maricopa and Gila Bend, for which the report supplied no milepost limits. These are separate highway segments elsewhere in Arizona, not interchangeable alternatives for getting through Sedona’s flooded neighborhoods or reaching its shelter. ⁷

Heavy rain also brought rockfalls. Transportation crews used plow trucks to clear debris from northern Arizona travel lanes. That is one reason a falling creek gauge cannot certify a road as safe: water recession does not show that debris has been removed, pavement inspected or a restriction lifted. Flooding also forced evacuations on White Mountain Apache tribal lands; Camp Verde separately ordered evacuations near the Verde River, West Clear Creek and Wet Beaver Creek. ^{7 1}

The evening water measurements show why the emergency cannot be reduced to a single improving number. At Sedona, Oak Creek measured 12.88 feet at 7:45 p.m. MST Sunday, below its 14-foot flood stage. At Cornville, the 8 p.m. reading was 16.93 feet against an eight-foot flood stage—8.93 feet above that threshold. ²

The morning observations were very different: Sedona measured 15.06 feet at 7:45 a.m., while Cornville measured 8.88 feet at 8 a.m. Radar and automated gauges indicated 1.25 to 2.5 inches of rain across the warned area by 8:15 a.m. These newly supplied warning-carried observations add numerical evidence that our earlier report had not established. They are snapshots at two locations, not a verified continuous record or a final crest. ⁸

The highway changes are documented in updated local reporting rather than a directly retrieved ADOT incident log. The creek figures and forecasts come from the supplied National Weather Service and county alert material; the original alert pages were not independently accessible. Those limits matter most when assessing what is open now and whether the predicted recession has actually happened.

The evening Flood Warning, issued at 8:35 p.m. MST November 1, described flooding already occurring, roads closed and impassable in the warned area, and possible additional overnight rises from upstream rainfall. It forecast a Cornville crest late Sunday night and a fall below flood stage late Monday morning. It did not identify the affected roads, so it cannot independently establish the status of a particular state highway. ²

The warning was scheduled to expire at noon MST Monday, November 2. That is a weather-warning deadline, not a return-home authorization. The earlier morning Flash Flood Warning’s scheduled 11:15 a.m. Sunday expiration likewise did not establish an end to the evacuation. Neither forecast recession nor an elapsed warning period substitutes for an official change to the GO instruction. ^{2 8}

Sedona Fire District Chief Ed Mezulis said responders were handling multiple reports of residents trapped inside homes, with crews from surrounding communities coming to assist. Firefighters called in extra personnel. The available reports still do not establish how many people were trapped, how many rescues were completed, or totals for injuries, deaths, evacuated households or property damage. Missing totals are not evidence that no harm occurred. ^{5 4}

Sedona Red Rock High School was the named evacuation destination. Current intake, hours, capacity and a verified safe route to the school remain unconfirmed, as do dependable street-level boundaries for the three zones. A highway reopening cannot fill those gaps. ⁸

The practical guidance remains direct: do not cross flooded roads, and stay away from washes and creek beds. People in immediate danger were directed to higher ground and told to call 911 when safe. For families deciding whether to leave, travel or return, the deciding evidence must be official direction for their location—not an open interstate, a lower reading elsewhere or a clock reaching noon. ^{6 8}