Heavy rain causes flooding in parts of Globe-Miami area

PHOENIX – Besides Apache Junction, severe monsoon weather on July 28 also brought flooding to Globe, and area that has dealt with a lot of damaging flooding issues in 2021.

As this latest round of monsoon storm moved through the area, washes filled up fast, as they did exactly what they were meant to do: diverting rainfall and carrying it away, so that it doesn’t flood in the places where it shouldn’t.

Burn scars exacerbate flooding concerns in the area

So far this monsoon season, Globe, along with nearby Miami, have had their far share of rainfall, but until July 28, not much rain fell on the burn scar that was created by the Telegraph Fire.

The Telegraph Fire burned more than 180,000 acres of land in summer of 2021. After the fire, the scorched ground was left hydrophobic. The ground was basically water-repellent, and ultimately caused severe flooding during monsoon season.

Gila County Emergency Manager Carl Melford said since 2021, they have been working diligently to clear out the debris and mud from the washes around town in order to avoid issues that come with flooding.

Melford said so far, the measures are working.

“Our top priority with mitigation was increasing the capacity, the flood capacity of the washes,” said Melford. “A lot of the issue that we had last year that caused the flooding was a build up of debris and just brush, because these are fairly inactive washes on a normal year, so a lot of work was done to clean those washes out.”

Gila County officials are providing free sandbags to anyone who needs them. Sandbags are also deployed out to neighborhoods that are most at risk.

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Rain/flood safety tips

The American Red Cross’ tips for heavy rain situations and flood safety:

• Turn around don’t drown! If you must drive and you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and go another way.
• If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground.
• Tune in to your local radio, NOAA radio, or news channels for the latest updates.
• If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, be prepared to evacuate quickly.
• Follow evacuation orders and do not attempt to return until officials say it is safe.
• If power lines are down, do not step in puddles or standing water.
• If power is out, use a flashlight. Do not use any open flame as alternate lighting.