GLOBE — One year after deadly flash flooding swept through parts of Gila County, ABC15 is following up with leaders in the region to see how the area is healing, recovering, and working to prevent future disasters from happening again.
Across Gila County, more than $100 million in damage was reported, with three people losing their lives.
In Globe alone, the city sustained $96 million in damage according to leaders there, with dozens of businesses affected and 16 homes damaged or destroyed.
This week, ABC15's Nick Ciletti checked back in with Globe Mayor Al Gameros where his first stop was a flood mitigation project already underway about a mile away from historic downtown.
The sounds of bulldozers and construction equipment have become a familiar backdrop in Globe, with Mayor Al Gameros agreeing that it is music to his ears because it signifies progress.
See more of our previous coverage of this story in the main video player above.
"I have lived here my whole life, and I had never seen anything like that," explains Mayor Gameros.
It was September 26, 2025, when flash floods swept through Gila County, blanketing historic downtown Globe and turning roads into rivers.
Mayor Gameros showed us around an area located in the Beer Tree Crossing where he says experts from the University of Arizona reported six feet of water rushed in within thirty minutes.
When we stopped by Monday, crews were hard at work, removing sediment, laying large stones known as "riprap" to prevent erosion, and widening the washes in hopes of slowing future floodwaters.
"We can't prevent Mother Nature, but we can help minimize the damage the water would do," says Mayor Gameros.
The flood mitigation projects are funded in part through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A requirement of the grant is that cities and towns match 25% of the funding. To help cover those costs, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and the legislature agreed to include $10 million from the most recent budget, with $5 million going to Gila County, $2.5 million going to the Town of Miami, and $2.5 million going to the City of Globe.
While Mayor Gameros explains he is pleased with the state's involvement and welcomes any funding, he's worried about his small city being able to come up with the full match amount.
Keep in mind, since FEMA denied the state's emergency disaster declaration, the area is also on the hook for many of the repairs that still need to be completed.
"There is only so much you can do," says Mayor Gameros, with Globe having a population of roughly 7,200. "It is still going to take years of recovery and years of trying to figure out how to come up with the 25% moving forward."
Despite the financial strain, Mayor Gameros explains protecting his community remains top priority.
"If we don't have that foundation of infrastructure, then our city won't survive," he says.
ABC15 reached out to FEMA several times this week for a response, but did not hear back. We also reached out to White House officials who referred us back to FEMA.
Count on ABC15 to follow up and continue pushing for answers.
In the meantime, you can join the City of Globe Saturday night as they mark the one year anniversary of the flooding disaster. To learn more, click here
