On Tuesday, Governor Doug Ducey declared a State of Emergency in Coconino County in response to monsoon storms that began July 23 and triggered flooding. The flood conditions were compounded by ongoing rainfall and saturated grounds of several recent and historical burn scars.
“We are ready to support Coconino County through the response and recovery process,” said Maj. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck, Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Director. “Meeting the needs of impacted communities requires an agency-wide effort from our citizen soldiers, airmen and civilian staff.”
The severity of wildland fire burn scars in the area and ongoing potential for thunderstorms has increased the likelihood of additional flooding. The flooding event that began July 23 follows the Governor’s previously declared emergency(link is external) in Coconino County for the July 12 to 15 storms that caused flooding, debris flows and temporary road closures.
These actions build upon the governor’s rapid deployment(link is external) of the Arizona National Guard to assist with flood mitigation measures(link is external) such as filling sandbags. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry’s Wildland Fire and Arizona Healthy Forest crews also provided assistance.
Coconino County residents are urged to be prepared for evacuation or shelter-in-place by assembling an emergency go-kit that contains clothes, medicines, and important documents for each family member. Residents are encouraged to register for emergency notifications at coconino.az.gov/ready(link is external) to ensure they receive relevant information for their community.
Governor Ducey is authorized under A.R.S. § 26-303(D) to declare a state of emergency, which can be used to reimburse eligible emergency response and recovery costs. The funds cannot be used to reimburse home or business for flood damages.
Coconino County residents can register for emergency alerts, find sandbag locations, and access flood preparedness information at https://coconino.az.gov(link is external).