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GLOBE, Ariz. - Eight months ago, deadly floods hit parts of Gila County, devastating some areas. In the hard-hit city of Globe, progress is visible, but further work is still needed.
What they're saying:
"We’re still gonna be in recovery for years to come," Globe Mayor Al Gameros said.
With monsoon season right around the corner, work is underway in Gila County to reduce the risk of severe flooding. The deadly floods from September 2025 remain fresh in leaders’ minds.
"It’s been eight months, you think that’s a long time, it really isn’t," Gameros said.
Gameros gave FOX 10 a look at flood mitigation work being done on county property, with the city prepared to start work next week. This work includes the stabilizing of banks, the addition of new structural concrete, and 3D mapping to identify high-risk areas.
"We not only have to address our waterways that go through our city, but we also have to address the burn scar in the mountains around our community that we need to try to work at to slow that water down when we get a large amount of rain," Gameros said.
Gameros says there are still six buildings in downtown Globe, like those along Broad Street, that remain boarded up and fenced off. While the plan is to try to save these buildings, discussions are happening about potential demolition.
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Local perspective:
David Berrey owns two of those buildings and plans to demolish one to give the space new life.
"I’m trying to take something that was a negative and turn it into a positive," Berrey said. "I’m looking for some corporate sponsors and some help for funding for the demolition."
But Berrey is fighting to keep the corner brick building upright. He voiced concerns over the red-tagging and assessments from officials but says he hopes an agreement can be reached after what he described as a stressful eight months.
"This building is particularly beautiful for historic downtown Globe," Berrey said. "I want to do some preventative maintenance on the building, any roof fixes, do anything that the engineer with my insurance company said to do – do it! I provided that to them, and hopefully they can see it as a resolution."
On the federal level, Gameros says Federal Emergency Management Agency officials did revisit the area after initially denying a major disaster declaration. As leaders await the results of their appeal, Gameros emphasized the continuous work being done behind the scenes.
"It’s all about patience," Gameros said. "Our staff is working really hard, a lot of hours put in to seek different funds."