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Flood insurance concerns grow as Globe, Miami residents deal with aftermath of floods
As the focus shifts to financial aid in Globe and Miami, five days after historic flooding, many residents lack flood insurance. Local leaders say significant action is needed from state/federal government, as they work to expedite funding for victims.
GLOBE, Ariz. - Five days after historic flooding hit the communities of Globe and Miami, the focus of recovery has turned to financial assistance, with many residents facing a lack of insurance coverage on their properties.
Local perspective:
Some Globe residents are frustrated that more hasn't been done to maintain the Pinal Creek, an area prone to flooding after two wildfires left burn scars over the past decade. Local leaders said significant action for this recovery has to come from above them.
"We're just really sad that people are going through this right now because it's horrible," said Ashley Payne, Senior Project Manager at Kaizen Builders.
As Globe residents sift through the damage in their homes and businesses, helping hands from Phoenix-based Kaizen Builders are in town offering free inspections to prepare people for the next step in receiving aid.
"We're really familiar with the insurance process," said Kaizen Builders Project Manager Hannah Ogden. "Our goal is to really help them navigate filing for the appropriate damages. You know, there's different ways that you can go about it."
Payne added, "We are able to, like, catch things and know what to look for. I think it is a really overwhelming process, so having someone who's been through it before is really helpful."
Dig deeper:
Some property owners are without flood insurance, an issue long-time Globe resident Udon McSpadden brought up at a press conference with local and county leaders on Sept. 29. He shared his experience with trying to price out insurance on one of his four properties in the past.
"That price was $30,000 annually to buy just flood insurance, not fire, not anything else," McSpadden said.
Gila County Supervisor Tim Humphrey pointed to dated floodplain maps as part of the issue.
"The insurance companies set their insurance by those flood maps," Humphrey said. "Everybody knows creeks change, and everybody knows now that we have GPS, those maps are not correct."
McSpadden said he's been urging the city of Globe for years to engineer the Pinal Creek and get the floodplain maps updated.
"And when people have this happen to them, they can literally go to the bank," McSpadden said.
Big picture view:
Humphrey says the city and county can only do what is allowed by the state and federal government. McSpadden said he needs help on the ground level to make things happen.
"I don't know the people at FEMA, and I don't know the federal people that I need to contact," McSpadden said. "I don't have phone numbers. All I've got is these folks, so I gotta go through them to say, 'Look, you need to raise this up so that we can buy flood insurance!'"
What's next:
Leaders said they are working to expedite funding to flood victims.
A Disaster Assistance Center will be open Oct. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Gila County Fairground. Information can be found on their Facebook page.
The Source: This information was gathered by FOX 10's Nicole Krasean, who spoke with the Gila County Supervisor and managers at a Phoenix-based construction company.