Residents of Gila County will have a chance to ask questions about ongoing flood relief efforts at an upcoming community meeting.
GROVE, Ariz. — A meeting is set for Thursday evening in Grove to inform residents about the flood recovery initiatives happening throughout Gila County, following the severe flooding that occurred last week.
In collaboration with city and county officials, the Arizona Department of Forestry Fire Management will host the meeting at High Desert Middle School at 6 PM, allowing community members to ask their questions.
Cleanup efforts have been underway this past week as heavy rains caused significant flooding, damaging local infrastructure and leading to three fatalities.
Authorities have been recovering numerous vehicles across the area, and there is an active effort to locate their owners. Crews continue to remove debris from the most severely affected locations.
The meeting will also be broadcast live on the Grove City YouTube channel.
Related: Rescue operations in Grove and Miami have stopped amid deadly flooding
Related: An RV Park couple feared for their lives during the Gila County floods
Related: Cleanup efforts continue in Arizona following fatal floods
How large is Maricopa County?
Based on the 2020 census, Maricopa County ranks as the fourth largest county in the U.S., with a population of 4,485,414.
The county encompasses roughly 63% of Arizona’s entire population across an area of 9,224 square miles, which is larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire).
Maricopa County also features one of the largest park systems in the nation, with about 120,000 acres of open space, including numerous trails, a nature center, and campsites.
The county seat is located in Phoenix, which is the state capital and the fifth most populous city in the U.S., according to census data.
The name of the county comes from the Maricopa, or Pipashu, a Native American tribe.
