Globe reflects on flood recovery as new storms hit the area

GLOBE, Ariz. - A flood watch remains in effect for southern Gila County until 9:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, and that includes the Globe/Miami area.

This latest round of storms came around one year following the historic and deadly flash floods that ripped through the region, and in the City of Globe, the forecast brings back heavy emotions.

"I guess they call it, what is that? PTSD. There's a little bit of that going around where people get anxiety. You know?" one Globe resident said.

Local perspective:

Globe Mayor Al Gameros noted the emotional toll the disaster left behind. "There's a lot of anxiety now. A lot of trauma that took place witnessing what happened in our community," Gameros said.

Saturday marked one year since the historic deadly flooding tore through Globe, destroying homes and businesses.

"Water was all the way up," local resident Debbie Cox said. "I mean in the Mexican food place right over there they were literally sitting on air conditioners to have the water recede so they could even get out. It was very bad."

Gameros recalled the damage to local establishments.

"El Ranchito, down here this restaurant, all their stuff was just destroyed in there. I mean water rose to about 6 foot level, 5 to 6 foot level," Gameros said.

Big picture view:

But a lot has changed over the past 12 months. Not only has the city worked tirelessly to rebuild, but officials also implemented vital flood mitigation strategies.

"They've done a lot of work on the creek system. They've cleaned up a lot, so the water flows better," a resident said. "It's helped quite a bit."

City leaders focused heavily on local waterways to prevent future disasters. "We have about 2.8 miles of creek that runs through our city. We took the sediment down, widened them up, and we secured some of the walls," Gameros said.

Cox expressed optimism about the community's progress during the recent rainfall. "It's a lot better now. There's still work to do. But you can see with the rain that we've had going on steady. Our washes are still staying in their border line," " Cox said. "Hopefully since it's supposed to end tonight, we will be ok."

Those physical improvements are brought to life by a community that refuses to give up.

"Between all the people that came up here and helped," Cox said. "If it hadn't been for that, it would not look like it does now."

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