20' is basically beside the creek. Washes and creeks in the SW are deadly, because they are so flat and because there is no vegetation to hold rain.
“20’ is basically beside the creek. Washes and creeks in the SW are deadly, because they are so flat and because there is no vegetation to hold rain.”
Terrain should be a major part of selecting tent sites, in such locales.
Yes. Even if it was a steep slope, they'd have been overwhelmed. They may have been okay in a small storm, but this summer was bad in New Mexico for big storms. From the article: "The creek normally is 2 to 3 feet wide and less than a foot deep. That morning, at least 2 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time, and the surge of water that swept through the canyon was as high as 20 feet and as wide as a football field, authorities said."
It's hard to fathom something growing 100 times its original width and 20 times its original depth in a very short time.