Search and Rescue Efforts Continue in Gila County
Phoenix – Efforts to search, rescue, and clean up continued on Monday in Gila County following devastating floods that hit Grove and surrounding areas.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) is managing multi-agency search operations and debris removal efforts. It’s a complicated situation, as teams work diligently to support those affected.
While crews focus on finding vehicles swept away by the flood in Pinal Creek since Saturday, six search and rescue teams rested on Monday, preparing to return to the field on Tuesday. The specially trained K9 covered four miles in the Wheatfields area on Sunday, but there are still approximately seven miles left to search around Grove and Miami.
On Monday, drone units from the Arizona Department of Public Safety took the lead in the search operations. The DFFM indicated that these aerial efforts are crucial for effective search methods.
In another effort, a crew from the US Forest Service worked on cutting and clearing debris in Pinal Creek, particularly on the east side of Broad Street. Heavy machinery has also been deployed to remove numerous propane tanks that ended up displaced because of the floods.
Impact of the Floods
So far, the Gila County Department of Public Health and Community Services has reported at least three flood-related fatalities. It remains unclear how many individuals might still be missing.
In response to the crisis, Governor Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in Gila County on Saturday, which activated $200,000 from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to assist with ongoing recovery efforts.
The area experienced around 2.5 inches of rain within 24 hours, leading to significant flooding in roads and streams. The downtown Grove area saw some of the first flooding, impacting a propane tank distributor and scattering about 1,000 residential-sized tanks into the community.
Officials are urging residents to refrain from conducting their own searches, emphasizing that search teams, along with their dogs, are trained for this, and unauthorized volunteers could inadvertently confuse the dogs with the scents.
The Arizona Department of Transportation has canceled scheduled daytime closures between Superior and Miami on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for US 60, but warned that cleanup operations might still cause some delays.
