SUPAI – The Havasupai Tribe is pushing back the reopening date for its reservation over concerns about the swine flu.
Flooding forced the closure of the reservation to visitors last year. Tribal camping office employee Suzanna Siyuja said Thursday that the tribe now plans to reopen June 1 instead of Monday.
Water from a summer thunderstorm surged through the canyon that is the ancestral home of the Havasupai Tribe in mid-August. Hundreds of residents and tourists were evacuated.
Tribal members live in the village of Supai deep in a gorge off of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon National Park remains open to visitors.
Siyuja says the tribe is eager to reopen because it’s so dependent on tourist income. But it’s being cautious because of the swine flu cases that have occurred recently in Arizona .