Particle.news

Globe Marks One-Year Remembrance After Deadly Flash Floods

The ceremony shows local grief, highlighting a funding shortfall from FEMA that will slow flood mitigation for years.

Overview

  • A Sept. 26 remembrance in Globe honored the three people killed in the Sept. 26, 2025 flash flood—Heather Poarch-Johnson, David Acevedo and Teresa Robles Saenz—and drew families, city leaders and residents.
  • Crews have cleared and widened downtown washes and begun sediment removal and stabilization work to protect waterways that funneled floodwater into Broad and Main streets.
  • FEMA denied Arizona’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, leaving many repairs to local and state resources and pushing communities to rely on a $10 million state allocation and federal mitigation grants with local cost shares.
  • Mayor Al Gameros said officials will develop a formal flood-mitigation plan but warned that Globe’s small tax base means raising matching funds and completing major projects could take years.
  • Business owners and residents reported tangible recovery progress since the flood, yet families continue to grieve and leaders say full infrastructure repair and long-term protection will require multi-year funding and work.