FEMA has rejected Arizona’s request for disaster relief to deal with flood damage in Gila and Mohave counties.
At the end of September, devastating floods hit cities like Globe and Miami in eastern Arizona, causing an estimated $30 million worth of damage and killing four people.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in October and freed up some emergency funding for repairs. She then applied for federal relief.
“Preliminary damage assessments identified three hundred and twelve (312) damaged homes, including sixty-four (64) destroyed, eighty-nine (89) with major damage, and one-hundred and fifty-nine (159) with minor to affected-level damage. More than one hundred and eighty (180) residents required emergency sheltering or temporary lodging, and approximately seventy-four (74) households lacked flood insurance coverage. Approximately 8,464 individuals received emergency alerting to take immediate action during the event,” Hobbs wrote in a letter to President Trump.
But, this week, FEMA denied the state’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration.
“Based on our review of all of the information available, it has been determined that the damage from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments. Accordingly, we have determined that supplemental federal assistance is not necessary. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for a major disaster declaration is denied,” the letter from FEMA official Karen Evans simply states.
Hobbs’ spokesperson Christian Slater noted the agency didn’t offer many details by way of explaining its decision.
“We were extremely disappointed to see not only this denial, but also the kind of lack of communication and lack of explanation coming from the federal government,” he said.
“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,” Hobbs said in a statement.
