PHOENIX — Globe Mayor Al Gameros explained why the recent heavy rain caused such severe flooding and destruction in the city and provided an update on recovery efforts.
Gameros told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Tuesday that while Globe is used to rain and flash flood warnings, there were concerns about heavy rain due to damage caused by the Telegraph Fire — which burned 180,747 acres in 2021, including area outside the city on Pinal Mountain.
“It burned the bottom end of it,” Gameros explained. “So, there’s nothing to hold this water back either.”
However, there is a silver lining as the mayor stated that the city is looking “100 times better” than it did a couple days ago.
“We opened downtown on Sunday at noon and we probably had several hundred, maybe even 1,000 people, that came down to clean out, just mucking out mud,” Gameros said. “And on Monday, we had 3,000 volunteers come into our community to help clean. And they came not only from Arizona, but they came from California, New Mexico and Nevada.”
Gameros also provided an update on fatalities, stating that so far there have been three confirmed deaths due to the floods and that someone who was reported missing was confirmed to be alive on Tuesday afternoon. The mayor did note that the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) incident management team is still searching through cars that were swept away by floodwaters in Pinal Creek.
What happened in Globe?
Around 2.5 inches of rain fell in Globe over 24 hours on Friday, flooding creeks, roadways as well as the city’s downtown area.
Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency for Gila County on Saturday in wake of the catastrophic flooding, which released $200,000 from the Governor’s Emergency fund to support ongoing efforts.
On Monday, a U.S. Forest Service hotshot crew was out cutting and clearing debris from Pinal Creek on the east side of Broad Street. There was also heavy equipment being used to to remove propane tanks that were dislodged from a Globe-area distribution facility.
Six search and rescue teams with cadaver dogs resumed efforts to locate missing individuals that may have gone unreported on Tuesday. The Arizona Department of Public Safety drone modules were also available for aerial coverage if needed.
The mayor said that due to the outpour of support, there is an abundance of supplies and volunteers in the city.
“If people want to help, we’re encouraging them make cash donations to the United Fund of Globe-Miami,” Gameros said.
The mayor noted that 100% of the funds will go to the residents and businesses of the two communities.
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