Globe residents rush to prep homes ahead of more heavy rain

GLOBE, Ariz. - More rain is forecast for parts of Arizona later this week and weekend. The chances for flooding are the last thing residents in Globe want to hear right now. 

Local perspective:

Pallets stacked with sandbags dwindled down throughout the day as Globe residents rush to prep their homes. The memories from the last flood are still fresh in their minds.

Georgia Dorame lives right next to the Pinal Creek and, like many in the area, was terrified to see the destruction of the floodwaters on Sept. 26.

"I didn't know what to do, if I was ever gonna see my kids or my family," Dorame said. "When the tanks started hitting the bridge there, they started exploding, and they were shooting up, and they were going over the bridge, and all we could smell was propane, and we were freaked out."

"I watched the trailer and my cousin's truck go into the creek," said Destany Salas. "That's when I called my aunt and I said, ‘What do we do? I'm scared.’"

Now, with more rain forecasted as early as Oct. 8, with the National Weather Service predicting a 20% chance for rainfall totals exceeding two inches, the family is busy preparing.

"We made canals in the back so that way maybe the water, if it comes the way it did that day, it won't go into the bottom of the basement, and I went today and got sandbags," Dorame said.

Big picture view:

She’s not the only one.

John Imhoff said he saw the forecast and immediately thought of the damage his home suffered last week.

"I've got a hole in my ceiling that it came in so heavy that it just blew that out," Imhoff said. "I've got my streetfront has got a nice embankment but it's not meant to handle this kind of water. I mean, it was just incredible."

Imhoff said the teepee next to the public library was a popular spot today.

"A lady in a red pickup truck said, ‘Hey, what's up with the pallets?’ And I said, ‘How many do you want?’ And she said 10," Imhoff recounted. "So I gave her 10, and then a guy showed up with his three-year-old son and filled up the back of his truck, and I filled up the back of mine."

The city is advising people to avoid low-lying and flood-prone areas during heavy rain.

Dorame hopes officials consider ways to help her neighborhood in the future to provide an escape route in case of another extreme flood.

"Maybe they can have an overbridge where we can go over it and walk over it to get out of here," Dorame said. "We're gonna be trapped here. There ain't no way for us to get out, none of us. Not up Ruiz Canyon or Buena Vista."

What you can do:

The City of Globe’s public works yard is another location where residents can pick up sandbags. The city is encouraging residents to stay up to date on their weather alerts and prepare emergency kits, with hopes that they aren't needed.