Gila County officials are preparing for what could be another onslaught of heavy rains hitting the eastern Arizona communities of Globe and Miami starting as early as Thursday.
Residents there are still reeling from heavy flooding just two weeks ago. Marcy McMaken is with the Gila County Emergency Management team. She says there’s upwards of a 70% chance of more rain due to remnants of Tropical Storm Priscilla.
“We recommend that motorists during the rain period to avoid low-lying areas, especially during the heavy rain. We ask that residents or recommend that they prepare emergency kits and plan ahead," she says.
“You want to have things such as flashlights, batteries, ponchos, charging outlets, and cords, and anything else that you might need in terms of important documents, and especially your ID.”
Gila County officials posted on social media that crews filled and distributed more than 10,000 sandbags which residents can pick up at locations around Globe including the main library and Globe high school.
Crews filled and distributed 10,500 sandbags Wednesday and will be back Thursday morning, said Steve Williams with Gila County Public Works.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for most of Arizona from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening. Excessive rainfall could overflow rivers, streams, and other low-lying areas.
Flagstaff Meteorologist Ben Petersen says the flood watch applies from north to south, but not the far east or southeast parts of the state.
“Up in the southern Coconino County and over into northern Navajo and Apache County is where anywhere from 2-4 inches should fall by the end of the day Saturday, but that doesn’t mean other areas aren’t gonna see an inch, maybe two inches of rain," Petersen said.
He says the heaviest rainfall is expected from Bagdad in Yavapai County up to the Four Corners area.
