By Staff Reporter |
As Arizona families mourned loved ones and homes lost in this weekend’s historic flooding and lawmakers pleaded for emergency relief, Gov. Katie Hobbs went for a morning hike to work off the stress of her reelection campaign.
“Nothing like hitting the trail for a morning hike before hitting the campaign trail,” posted Hobbs.
As Hobbs was hiking, Arizona families were assessing the scope of what they’d lost.
Among them, two men who perished in the floodwaters that ravaged Flagstaff: one who remains unidentified as of this report, and Williams Singavarapu, 73. Another man, 63-year-old Benny Sutton Jr. from Yavapai County, remains missing near the Castle Springs area.
Initial tallies indicate that dozens of homes have been flooded and destroyed.
Floodwaters also trapped residents in the area and destroyed critical infrastructure, resulting in evacuation orders for multiple communities.
As floods ravaged multiple counties throughout the state, Hobbs drove past the displaced residents to head to Tucson for several campaign stops as part of a final push to secure enough votes for reelection.
Residents questioned why Hobbs wasn’t taking action to provide emergency relief earlier, noting that their neighbors were trapped by the flooding.
Multiple Republican lawmakers had urged the governor to call a state of emergency as early as Sunday night.
State Rep. Walt Blackman (R-LD-7) had pleaded for emergency aid for his constituents and the surrounding areas. Blackman also petitioned Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) to coordinate federal support for the congressman’s district.
Blackman expressed particular concern for the rural and tribal communities where existing aid and resources are already scarcer than in other parts of the state.
“Families facing rising water need immediate help, clear information, and a reliable path to recovery,” said Blackman. “Rural and tribal communities cannot be overlooked. A washed-out road can cut a family off from medical care, groceries, and emergency services. We need direct coordination with people on the ground to identify unmet needs and get help where it belongs.”
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD-3) asked Hobbs to call a state of emergency due to the potential for Arizonans to be stranded with no way to vote.
It wasn’t until later on Monday afternoon that Hobbs fulfilled the request of the lawmakers for emergency relief. The announcement immediately unlocked $200,000 in emergency funding for local communities.
Conditions remain dangerous in multiple counties, though the rainfall ceased on Monday.
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced the closure of the following roads:
- State Route 87 north of Winslow, milepost 344 to 346;
- State Route 87 south of State Route 264, mileposts 398 to 400; State Route 89A between Sedona and Kachina Village, mileposts 375 to 397;
- U.S. 191 in Rock Point, mileposts 496 to 494;
- State Route 288 between mileposts 271 and 302; and,
- State Route 377 northbound north of Heber-Overgaard, mileposts 1 to 33.
ADOT regularly provides real-time traffic information on az551.gov and the AZ511 app.
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