GLOBE, Ariz. – Downtown Historic Globe, the area hardest hit by the flooding on Sept. 26, is now shoveling its way out of the mud and debris left behind, one helping hand at a time.
Local perspective:
It was a busy day on Broad Street, right in the center of historic downtown Globe, as hundreds of business owners, neighbors, and friends came together to help some of these businesses start to clean up and begin the rebuilding process.
“It’s just unreal. A complete … I don’t … I’m at a loss for words,” said Kimberly Cason, whose family owns the Globe Antique Mall.
Sometimes words can’t quite convey the devastation felt by a community struck by a natural disaster.
In downtown Globe, business owners can barely wrap their heads around the destruction from the flash flooding.
“Mother owned 90% of everything in here, and 13 other vendors are in here, including myself,” Cason said. “We worked so hard to get the store for the community. People loved the store, and now it’s just, start over; gotta start over.”
Dig deeper:
Family-owned Kino Floors and Interiors, a Globe staple for more than four decades, was in the center of the terrifying flooding.
“When I got here, my dad was in the business. He couldn’t even get out because the water was up to the doors, and the water kept coming back and back,” said Lisa Fletcher of Kino Floors and Interiors. “People started yelling and screaming and so much chaos, but they started figuring out, ‘Okay, we need to get ropes. We need to get these people out of La Casita.’ They were locked in there. They said there were 40 people in there. You could see people swimming in the middle of the water.”
David Berrey, who owns multiple properties downtown, said the loss of business is tough, but he is thinking of people who lost loved ones in the waters.
“That’s kind of the most important thing right now, is making sure that those people are recovered,” Berrey said. “And, you know, I feel bad for those families. Things come and go, but that’s the sad part of all of this.”
Support within the community is evident in the number of volunteers helping on Sept. 28 as people wait for government funding.
“That’s the only way we’re going to get this downtown fixed again is if we have help from the state and federal level,” Berrey said.
What you can do:
For anyone at home who is looking for ways to help, we have a link to several GoFundMe campaign that have been set up for the downtown businesses and the communities of Globe and Miami.
The Source: This information was gathered from FOX 10’s Nicole Krasean who spoke with Globe business owners.