GLOBE, AZ — There is a bipartisan effort to bring disaster relief to flood-hit counties in Arizona.
Just last week, Governor Katie Hobbs called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reverse its decision to deny the state's emergency funding request, related to catastrophic flooding in Gila and Mohave Counties back in September.
“Devastating. There (were) mass amounts of damage to my buildings. Three out of the four buildings I own got red-tagged. One of them was completely wiped out,” said David Berrey, a landlord in Downtown Globe.
After devastating floods swept through parts of Gila and Mohave Counties four months ago, killing three and causing millions in damage, business owners and residents are still picking up the pieces.
“Asking Globe, as a small community like that, to absorb all this cost is just unfair in my opinion," said Berrey.
That is why state leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are working to appeal FEMA's decision, which would have provided federal relief to flood-impacted counties and municipalities.
One key difference now: the state's damage estimate has gone up from $33 million to more than $100 million.
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Gov. Hobbs sent an appeal letter to President Donald Trump, adding, “We recognize that the initial request did not fully capture the scope of the damage...” and “this transcends any political party affiliation.”
“I think we get overlooked because we’re not a huge population state, and we’re not back on the East Coast. It’s why we have to sometimes fight so much harder,” said Rep. David Schweikert, R-AZ.
Schweikert has been working in Washington to also reverse FEMA's initial denial, signing onto a letter by Rep. Eli Crane, along with Rep. Andy Biggs and Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
Schweikert says since federal lands surround these counties, the federal government is responsible for how that land is, or is not, managed and any resulting consequences.
“If you’re not managing your federal lands — there’s forest service land, there’s a chunk of BLM land on the spot — it ends up affecting the private land of the private community,” said Schweikert.
Arizona's congressional democrats have also sent their own letter of appeal, with Senator Ruben Gallego stating: "These communities do not have the resources they need to recover on their own…”
The state's $100 million estimate encompasses residential damage, infrastructure repair, and 175,000 tons of required debris removal. FEMA funding also opens doors for businesses to get extra relief.
A FEMA spokesperson tells ABC15 that they are reviewing the state's appeal and have sent staff to Arizona to validate the new estimate, but there is no timeline for a decision.
“If there is politics at play, just put that aside. Help people out when there’s a flood and just be mature about it," said Berrey.
