By Ethan Faverino |

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs strongly condemned the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) decision to deny the state’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration following the devastating floods that struck Gila and Mohave Counties from September 25-27, 2025.

Governor Hobbs announced plans to appeal the decision, emphasizing the urgent need for federal support to rebuild infrastructure, homes, and lives in these rural areas.

“The people of Gila and Mohave County were devastated by flooding from severe monsoon storms this September,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Now, they’ve been denied support from the federal government with little explanation. By denying much-needed relief, this administration is leaving Arizonans out on their own after their homes, businesses, roads, and bridges were decimated by historic storms. I will appeal this reckless decision and continue doing everything in my power to ensure Arizona communities don’t pay the price for the federal government’s senseless policies.”

The floods, triggered by a stalled monsoonal moisture system that dumped six to ten inches of rain in just 48 hours, overwhelmed local watersheds, including Pinal Creek, Miami Wash, Russell Gulch, and Keller Canyon.

Rapid runoff led to flash floods, debris flows, and widespread destruction across Globe, Miami, Claypool, Hayden, Winkelman, and other communities, including nearby Tribal nations.

Preliminary damage assessments revealed severe impacts: 312 homes were affected, with 64 destroyed, 89 suffering major damage, and 159 with minor to affected-level damage. More than 180 residents required emergency sheltering, and approximately 74 households lacked flood insurance.

Public infrastructure bore the brunt of the disaster with major damage to roads, bridges, utilities, and wastewater systems, including the loss of Globe’s city-owned wastewater system.

Total estimated losses stand at $33,579,081, broken down as follows:

• Residential: $4,100,000 for 312 damaged homes.
• Public Infrastructure: $23,306,284 for roads, bridges, and utilities in Globe, Miami, and rural areas of Gila and Mohave Counties.
• Emergency Protective Measures: $4,721,112 for search and rescue, debris clearance, sheltering, and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activities.
• Debris Removal: $1,451,685 for 175,000 tons of mixed debris.

Hobbs was slow to declare a State of Emergency following the catastrophic flooding, eventually doing so on September 27, 2025, prompted by local declarations from Gila County, Mohave County, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Town of Miami, the City of Globe, and others.

State resources, including the Arizona Division of Emergency Management (DEMA), were fully mobilized, activating the EOC, deploying the incident management team, and coordinating evacuations, shelters, and rescues.

Local leaders echoed the Governor’s call for reversal:

Gila County Board of Supervisors District One Supervisor and Chairman Steve Christensen: “Devastation from our recent and profound flooding in southern Gila County has left many in financial ruin, homes destroyed, infrastructure destroyed or badly damaged, as well as loss of life. Gila County is left with significant challenges that we can never meet standing alone. Assistance from FEMA is vital, without which we will not recover to any level of the restoration needed. Please approve funding immediately for the work we MUST do in Gila County.”

Globe Mayor Al Gameros: “I want to thank Governor Hobbs, as well as the strong bipartisan support from our congressional delegation, for requesting a FEMA Major Disaster Declaration in response to the devastating floods that resulted in the death of three residents, and destroyed parts of our historic downtown, critical infrastructure such as bridges and roads, as well as numerous community assets. These floods caused historic and unprecedented damage and have forever transformed our small, tight-knit rural communities. Our community is extremely disappointed by FEMA’s short-sighted decision to deny the State’s Major Disaster Declaration, and we respectfully request that it reexamines its methodology and determines that this devastating flood event meets the critical criteria. I strongly urge FEMA to reverse course and immediately issue an approved Major Disaster Declaration.”

Miami Mayor Gil Madrid: “Miami is a strong and resilient community, and I know we can build back from this devastation, but this is a frustrating setback that will have a real impact on our families and businesses. I will continue working with state and local partners to ensure we get the support we need from the federal government to support our community. I urge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reconsider their decision and deliver this important relief to my city after we were struck by historic flooding.”

Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.