GLOBE, AZ — Leaders across Gila County are calling it a much-needed lifeline as they continue to recover from last fall's flooding.
As part of the new state budget, lawmakers will be giving the area funding for recovery and flood mitigation projects to try to prevent future disasters.
In the budget that both the Arizona House and Senate approved late Thursday, Republican leadership tells ABC15 $10 million would be directed from the Livestock Fire and Flood Assistance Fund and would be used in Gila County for ongoing recovery, with $2.5 million going to Miami, $2.5 million for Globe, and $5 million for Gila County.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs still needs to sign off on the budget, which we're told could happen as early as Friday. Thursday night, Governor Hobbs put out a statement, praising lawmakers for the bipartisan budget, saying in part, “My bipartisan Arizona First budget will make our state stronger, safer, and more prosperous."
"We're relieved, very relieved," explains Town of Miami Councilmember Phil Stewart.
Stewart says the $2.5 million that the Town of Miami will get once the budget is signed will go towards a matching requirement Miami has with a grant it received earlier this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture called the "NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program." The grant will cover 75% of flood mitigation projects, and the Town of Miami will need to reimburse the other 25% of costs.
Back in January, ABC15's Nick Ciletti went back to Gila County and Miami to follow up on the flooding recovery. In September and again in October, Miami, Globe, and the rest of Gila County were slammed with record-setting rains. Three people would die, and more than $100 million in damage would occur.
To see Nick Ciletti's reporting from Globe, click here.
Globe Mayor Al Gameros spoke to Nick over the phone Thursday, saying crews in his town have already been working on their flood mitigation projects - like clearing sediment - and are hoping to wrap up their work in the next few months.
Miami leaders said they would likely begin in the coming days, just as Monsoon 2026 begins.
"The flood mitigation process we are going through right now is important because from an economic development standpoint, if we want to lure new businesses here, one of the first questions they're going to ask is, well, what are you guys doing about the flood?" explains Miami Councilmember Stewart. "How will lives be safe?"
And it's those lives that leaders across the region say are the most important by far. Councilmember Stewart explains he's hoping the new projects will help save more lives in the long run.
"We can't afford to gamble," says Stewart. "The stakes are too high."
To see our story from earlier this year about the USDA grant, click here.
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as as a preferred source on Google below:
