MIAMI, AZ — Late last week, officials with Arizona's Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were back in Gila County, meeting with state and local leaders to reassess damage created by deadly flooding in September and October last year.
Late last year, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs ' office announced that FEMA had denied their request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which would have provided critical funding for the towns of Miami, Globe, and the rest of Gila County.
Globe Mayor Al Gameros told ABC15 they've estimated their damage to be around $96 million, with Miami leaders telling ABC15 the damage is about $56 million.
If FEMA approves funding for towns, the percentage of the overall cost that is owed by each town is reduced substantially, critical for towns with smaller populations.
Nick covered the initial round of flooding in late September 2025 and returned to Globe in late October to get an update on the recovery there.
Late last week, ABC15 returned to Gila County - this time to Miami - to see how leaders there were rebounding, nearly four months after the flooding that killed three people.
"We had some floods here, but it wasn't anything like that," explains Miami Mayor Gil Madrid, who was also born and raised in the small Gila County mining town.
"It was unbelievable. Unbelievable. And sad to see what was going on."
It's damage the Mayor says totals about $56 million, but as of right now, FEMA isn't helping cover any of it.
In December 2025, FEMA officials sent the state a letter, denying their request for a major disaster declaration, saying in part, "this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments."
"How could they not stand with us in that disaster?" questioned Mayor Madrid.
So the Town of Miami sent its own appeal to FEMA, citing not just the flooding events in September and October last year, but also another major natural disaster - The Telegraph Fire in 2021, which burned more than 180,000 acres, creating larges areas of erosion on the Pinal Mountains, that helped send flood water, tree limbs, and other debris down the mountains, and into areas like downtown Globe and Miami.
ABC15 surveyed the area of Mackey Camp Road and saw several areas covered in dirt and sand that had accumulated in the nearly five years since the fire.
For Miami Town Manager Alexis Rivera, who reached out directly to ABC15 after seeing his follow-up series in Globe, not having that funding from FEMA means money from other critical departments and resources will have to wait for key projects to begin, things like new work trucks, new police vehicles, and infrastructure improvements.
"We are going to keep fighting," says Rivera.
ABC15 reached back out to FEMA late last week and received this statement:
FEMA has received the State of Arizona’s appeal related to the September 25–27, 2025 severe storms and flooding. The appeal is currently under review in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. FEMA has sent staff to Arizona to join state and local representatives to validate new information contained in the State’s appeal. There is no timeline for appeal determinations, as each request is evaluated based on the specific circumstances.
