"They were feeding the pigs, and they literally had to climb a fence post to yell for help," she said, adding one of the boys was submerged briefly and came up spitting mud. "Someone threw them a garden hose so they could be pulled to safety."

Neighbors from the nearby towns of Virgin and LaVerkin rallied to help the Stapleses on Thursday. A steady stream of people arrived to help family members pull antiques and family heirlooms, children's toys and rolls of carpeting from the mud-caked homes. A red pickup truck was perched atop another car wedged between two trees, while other vehicles were covered in wide swatches of the now baked-on mud.

Mason Watts and his wife, Jaci Staples Watts, built their house here four years ago. It is a total loss. The front door is buckled in half, the back wall is gone, and sticky mud clings to broken windows and doorframes.

"We'll just have to rebuild," said Watts. "I don't know what else we can do."

Neighbors and strangers helped shovel mud and debris out of windows and into wheelbarrows, drive backhoes and bobcats. More than 65 people had showed up by early Thursday afternoon to help, and more were expected.

Several domestic animals were lost during the deluge, although one family pet seemed to beat the odds, said Luann Staples.

"I couldn't find my dog, Pup, and thought I had lost him to the flood," she said. "And then a neighbor called me later that night and said Pup was standing on my porch just barking to the world."

Rising floodwaters also caused extensive damage to the Zion River Resort along the Virgin River. One recreational vehicle and one passenger vehicle were lost when owners were unable to move the vehicles to safety quickly enough.

Zion National Park rangers said Thursday that all backcountry hikers were accounted for and no injuries had been reported. Hiking permits are still available for the backcountry, even though more thunderstorms are in the forecast and more flash floods are possible, said park spokesman David Eaker.

"We had a few hikers stranded in the lower section of the Subway, but they hiked out and are fine," he said.

Park rangers warn the hikers of the potential for serious injury or death if caught in a flash flood and even document the fact that the hiker has been warned, Eaker said. But park officials cannot prohibit people from hiking when flood warnings are in effect.

"The bottom line is, we can't stop them, and some people just don't understand how dangerous flash floods can be here," Eaker said.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com