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Globe flood survivor shares recovery story
A Marine veteran recounts surviving historic 2025 flash floods inside his floating RV. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
GLOBE, Ariz. - The one-year anniversary of the historic monsoon storms that hit parts of Gila County, including the city of Globe, is just days away.
The backstory:
In September 2025, rain quickly turned to flash flooding in the Miami and Globe areas, causing significant damage to homes and businesses.
The rain poured into a valley nestled between two mountain ranges and within minutes, the wash was filled with rushing water. The rain and flooding brought everything in its path, from dirt, rocks, tires and trash. Tractors have been going street by street, moving mud out of the road to get them back open.
"We have nothing left. It’s all gone," said Globe resident Seaneen Lira following the floods.
Local perspective:
Amid the damage, a destroyed RV at the center of one amazing survival story.
The lot in Globe where it once stood may be empty now, but a year ago, it was the place where Marine veteran David Hayes lived. On the night of the deadly flooding, his RV was swept away by the floodwaters with him inside.
"I'm breathing, I'm living. I couldn't ask for any more," said David Hayes Sr., who lost his home in the 2025 flooding, during a recent interview with Fox 10.
Hayes lived in the Globe area for decades. When we first met him in 2025, he was staying in a local motel after losing his RV — and almost his life — in the flash floods.
"I'm thinking I'm gonna die. I said 'I'm gonna die,'" Hayes said.
As waters rushed into his trailer, his leg was pinned. The trailer itself traveled a half mile away before he was able to get himself free, break a window with a flashlight, and climb onto the trailer's roof.
"The reach out I asked for and I did it loudly to God, okay, and he responded right then and there," Hayes said.
One Year Later...:
This week, we met Hayes at a home he has lived in since January, thanks to the help of the Salvation Army.
"Without the Salvation Army putting me in this spot, I don't know where I'd be at," Hayes said.
He has also been able to return to his landscaping job and says his employers are also angels in his recovery journey, which is still ongoing.
"It's still swollen, still discoloration, I've had two surgeries. They cut there, there and on the side there," Hayes said.
Hayes' once-broken leg is not the only part of him that has been under the knife in the past year.
"I've had two heart surgeries," Hayes said. "I have three stints in my heart right now."
He says he finds strength through his friends and family, especially his two grandkids.
"I just thank God I'm alive to be able to be with these two grandchildren that I love. Without them, I don't even know if I'd have made it this far," Hayes said.
What's next:
As he reflects on the past year, he says he counts his blessings and focuses on the positive.
"I was in water up to my neck, and I prayed to God that he'd hear me and save my life. Well he gave me this second chance and I'm trying to make the best of it I possibly can," Hayes said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from David Hayes Sr., a Marine veteran and Globe resident who lost his home in the 2025 flooding; the Salvation Army; and past FOX 10 reporting.