70-year-old missing in Cordes Lakes after flooding in Yavapai County, Arizona
Search and rescue operations are ongoing for a 70-year-old man who went missing after his vehicle got swept away by flooding in Cordes Lakes, Yavapai County, Arizona on November 18, 2025.
Flooding in Yavapai County, Arizona on November 18, 2025. Credit: YCSO
Residents at the E Fremont Drive / Thunderbird Trail crossing in Cordes Lakes, Arizona, reported at 15:00 local time (LT) on November 18, that a small sedan was being swept away by rapidly rising water in Big Bug Creek.
Deputies from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) rushed to the scene and located the vehicle as it was carried downstream with two adult males.
One of the men was a bystander who had attempted to assist the driver after the sedan entered the flowing water. The situation became critical when the vehicle began to overturn due to the current; a YCSO deputy stepped into the floodwater and pulled the man to safety.
However, the driver, a 70-year-old resident of Cordes Lakes, could not be rescued in time and has been missing since.
The vehicle continued downstream and became lodged against a tree roughly 3.2 km (2 miles) from the original location. Swiftwater rescue teams from Yavapai County Search and Rescue, Central Arizona Fire and Medical, and Mayer Fire searched the vehicle and the surrounding area but couldn’t find the driver.
According to a public update from the YCSO on November 19, search teams are using K-9 units, backcountry personnel on foot, 4×4 units, and drones to survey the creek corridor. Air support remains on standby but is limited due to severe weather conditions.
The Sheriff’s Office has urged the public to avoid the Big Bug Creek area and other flood-affected locations in Yavapai County to allow emergency personnel to continue search operations safely.
Flooding in Yavapai County, Arizona on November 18, 2025. Credit: YCSO- Flooding in Yavapai County, Arizona on November 18, 2025. Credit: YCSO
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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