Globe residents still recovering 1 month after deadly floods

Globe residents show signs of resilience as recovery efforts continue 1 month after historic flooding

Residents and business owners are coming together one month after historic and deadly flooding hit Globe. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean spoke with the community about their recovery progress.

GLOBE, Ariz. - It's been a month since deadly flooding hit the city of Globe, located east of the Valley, killing two people there and another woman nearby, while also destroying many homes and businesses.

Big picture view:

When you travel through the city of Globe, one month after the historic flooding, you can tell how resilient the people have been, coming together and making a lot of progress. But there are still so many signs of the damage that's been left behind, continued closures, and a lot of questions that homeowners and business owners alike still have.

"I am really proud to be part of this community," said Donald Reynolds.

Donald Reynolds and his wife Carmen moved to Globe 18 years ago, building a home along Central Avenue. 

Local perspective:

Last month, the couple watched as that home became threatened by rapidly rising floodwaters.

"This ditch was originally designed to handle that kind of water but somebody decided to put a small culvert in on both ends of my property and it easily gets plugged up," Reynolds said. "And when it does, the water comes across the driveway and across my yard."

After the first flooding, the couple had help getting their yard back in decent shape. 

"But a few days later we got a second rain and the ditches were full," Reynolds said. "The county hadn't gotten out here to clean them up, so we got the whole flood the second time."

Now, the Reynolds face more work to fix what Mother Nature damaged, not once, but twice.

The other side:

Globe residents still picking up the pieces 1 month after deadly floods

People in Globe are still recovering from the devastating floods in September, including some businesses working to clean up and get back on their feet. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.

In the heart of downtown Globe along Broad Street, there are several businesses that have been able to reopen since the flooding, but still many that are behind these fences, the owners unsure when or if they'll ever reopen.

"There's still so much to be done, to be honest," said Michelle Sallows.

The owners at Globe Antique Mall are still hard at work cleaning up, but have come a long way from the initial aftermath of the floods. While a lot of progress can be seen compared to a month ago, the effort continues.

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"We've been digging through the mud and finding and cleaning," Sallows said. "And some of it's broken and we have to throw it out and we have to tear apart all the pegboards and the booths and you know, they have mud in between them."

Some supplies have been donated, including plywood to board up windows and new peg boards to replace those caked with mud and damaged. With so many items sold in the antique mall, the family says there are a lot of small but important tasks to complete.

Michelle Sallows, whose mother owns the building, says help is very appreciated, but as the weeks pass, fewer people are around to volunteer.

"We're not seeing as many volunteers come up," said Sallows. "When volunteers do come up we're able to make really good progress, but if it's just us, you know like me and my mom and my sister and Roger, then it tends to go really slow and it can get really tedious. Like we're not going anywhere, but you know, chipping away at it. We're starting to see a little bit of light, but we're still very much in the clean up process right now and starting to tear down."

What's next:

Sallows said the goal, while lofty, is to be back open in some capacity for Christmas. 

"I know that that is, looking around you'd think, 'I don't know how that's going to happen,'" Sallows said. "And we don't know either, but I'm just hoping and praying that God comes through for us."

The family has gotten some initial funding from the United Fund of Globe Miami, but they said other funding sources are taking time, which makes for a painful waiting game.