By admin 
GLOBE, AZ (AZFamily) — Nearly 10 months after historic floodwaters tore through Globe and the Town of Miami, killing three people and causing nearly $100 million in damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied an appeal seeking a federal disaster declaration.
Read more New safeguards aren’t stopping copper thieves in Arizona
Globe and Miami officials said the decision means the communities will have to keep rebuilding without the additional federal share they hoped would help cover recovery costs.
FEMA declined Arizona’s appeal for a Major Disaster Declaration tied to the September 2025 flooding, concluding the event was “not of such severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration,” according to the agency’s determination cited by the city.
RELATED: A timeline of storms that led to devastating Globe flooding
Miami Mayor Gil Madrid said he was stunned by the second denial. Three people died in the September flooding, and Madrid said his community remains shaken physically and emotionally.
“It’s just not right. We don’t want to lose any more people,” Madrid said, “I just don’t understand what they’re thinking over there. Is it politics?”
Funding gap looms over flood prevention efforts
Madrid said the community has made some progress repairing homes and businesses but acknowledged the work is not finished.
“We’ve made some progress on the damage of our businesses and our homes, but are we done with it? No,” Madrid said.
The Globe-Miami area now has approximately $10 million in state funding to put toward flood prevention — far short of what officials say is needed. Madrid said the total cost of repairs is estimated at roughly $130 million.
“It’s not. It’s not altogether. It’s about $130 million. And the state doesn’t have that money,” Madrid said.
In a statement, Madrid said current flood mitigation funding covers only 30-40% of the community’s needs and that the town will continue pursuing assistance through Gila County, the state of Arizona and federal partners.
“The denial of Arizona’s FEMA appeal is a setback, not just for our town, but for every resident and business still feeling the impacts,” Madrid said in a statement. “Our flood mitigation funding to date is a mere 30 to 40 percent of our needs. We will continue working alongside Gila County, the State of Arizona, and our federal partners to pursue every opportunity for assistance. Our community deserves the support needed to fully recover and prepare for future disasters.”
Appeal denied after months of effort
Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in Sept. 2025 and requested the Federal Major Disaster Declaration a month later. However, FEMA denied Arizona’s first request for federal funding in Dec. 2025.
Globe Mayor Al Gameros said the city worked with state and congressional representatives and spent months compiling documentation and responding to requests.
“Our team spent thousands of hours replying to all of the requests — and we’re talking large requests,” Gameros said.
Officials also walked representatives from FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through damaged areas in person.
“They saw it. We provided them with the information they needed, and the appeal was still denied,” Gameros said.
Read more New wildfire burning in Chiricahua Mountains
Gameros said FEMA indicated the damage did not meet the threshold for a federal declaration.
FEMA did not respond to questions about the denial or what resources may still be available to the community.
Floodwaters turned downtown Globe into a river last September. Three people died, and 1,000 floating propane tanks caused a major hazardous materials emergency. Two weeks later, heavy rain complicated initial cleanup efforts.
In Globe, floodwaters turned parts of downtown into a river. Officials previously said floating propane tanks — about 1,000 of them — sparked a hazardous materials emergency. Two weeks later, heavy rain complicated initial cleanup efforts.
A final damage assessment put total losses at about $96 million, Gameros said.
What the denial means for rebuilding
With a state emergency designation in place, the state is expected to cover 75% of eligible rebuilding costs. A federal declaration would have covered 90%, officials said.
ASU emergency management professor Roni Fraser said the process for federal declarations has not changed, but small and rural communities can face structural disadvantages when trying to meet federal thresholds.
“It can be difficult especially for small and rural communities to really meet those thresholds or prove that the state wasn’t able to provide assistance,” Fraser said.
Fraser said she was surprised Globe did not qualify.
“I am surprised they didn’t qualify due to the vast number of flood damage,” Fraser said.
City officials said Globe cannot appeal the decision further.
Residents, officials look ahead
Globe resident Robert Nims, who lost his home in the flooding, said the destruction was overwhelming.
“We lived and built this little house for 25 years, lived in it for 25 years and never had a problem with the river,” Nims said.
Nims and his wife have since moved.
Despite the denial, Globe officials said recovery projects will continue, including cleanup along Pinal Creek, infrastructure repairs and long-term flood mitigation efforts with Gila County and the Town of Miami.
“While we are deeply disappointed in FEMA’s decision, our commitment to Globe has not changed,” Gameros said in a statement. “Recovery is not over. We will continue working with our local, county, state and federal partners to move critical projects forward and build a safer, more resilient community.”
Since the devastating flooding, homeowners and business owners have worked to rebuild. Many did not have proper insurance for a storm of that magnitude.
“The FEMA appeal has concluded, but Globe’s recovery continues,” the city said.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Tucson Now: Who is on your ballot?