Arizona monsoon flood recovery stalled as FEMA denies over $100 million in disaster aid

GILA COUNTY, Ariz. - Months after devastating monsoon floods claimed multiple lives and damaged homes and businesses, communities in Globe, Miami and Superior, Arizona, are still working toward recovery.

By the numbers:

While initial estimates put losses at about $33 million, local officials estimate the damage now exceeds $100 million. They say the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA) has denied the area’s request for disaster assistance. 

Local perspective:

That denial has prompted local and state leaders to push for answers. On July 25, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego met with leaders from Globe, Miami, and Superior to hear their concerns about the stalled recovery.

"My husband came, and he saw the wall warping," business owner Lisa Zaragoza said, whose business, Sweet Memories, was damaged by the floods. "So he had to replace all the sheet rock and everything else that was there."

The backstory:

Zaragoza has lived in Miami her entire life and said she had never seen flooding like last September’s. Her small business may have been impacted, but she said what she remembers most is how the community responded.

"There was so much help and so many people coming and helping everybody and just trying to clean," Zaragoza said. "People were donating food... and I was like, you know what, I am going to make sandwiches for people."

While cities and neighbors have made major progress since the 2025 flood, leaders say more work remains.

Big picture view:

Gallego’s visit came just one day after a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to President Donald Trump and FEMA, urging the agency to explain why it denied the region’s request for disaster assistance.

"They've hit every qualified reason why they should be getting a FEMA grant, just like any other place in the world," Gallego said. It is being held up because of politics."

"Do I want to play this game where we are going to be rejecting Florida's money every time they have a hurricane? No," Gallego added. "But we are going to have to start looking at ways to hold up money for Florida in order for me to get money for places like Miami here in Arizona."

Why you should care:

Local leaders say additional disaster funding would help stabilize creeks, clear storm sediment, repair damaged roads and provide the manpower needed to complete recovery projects.

Globe Councilmember Michael Pastor said the scope of the work remains significant.

"We've got about 150 different projects to do, some little, some big," Pastor said. " And it's going to take the money to get it done, and we don't have all the money we need."

Dig deeper:

Local officials say the recovery is regional, because when one community suffers, the entire area feels the impact.

"I can't understand why FEMA wouldn't let us get the money to finish this so we can go on and really make big progress for our state, for our town, for our country. We need the money, FEMA," Miami Mayor Gil Madrid said.

Zaragoza said she is encouraged to see representatives pushing for answers.

"It’s just good to see that they really care about their communities…they are fighting for us," Zaragoza said.