The destruction in Globe focused attention on the devastation from Friday’s flood event, but flooding actually began on Thursday, when an afternoon storm brought high winds and driving rain within less than an hour, flooding Highway 60, downtown Miami and parts of Claypool.
NOAA data showed that Miami received between three to four inches of rain between Thursday and Friday afternoon.
The rain came down in a deluge in downtown Miami, residents said. Water poured down from the hills, fed into narrow chasms, and exploded onto Miami’s business district and along the highway, pushing rocks and mud in front of the water.
Winds were said to be over 60 miles an hour and took off part of the roof of The Lyric Cafe. Owner Joanna 23 likened it to the top of a sardine can being pulled off.
The cafe, along with neighboring businesses of Thee 23 Skidoo and Miami Art Works gallery, were all flooded. The buildings have no insurance coverage because the insurance company dropped them after the last fire and flood.
A GoFundMe account has been created on behalf of the three buildings and is set for $23,000, but Joanna estimates that repairs will cost two to three times that amount.
The cafe is saying they will be closed “for a while,” but are encouraging take-out orders to keep business alive.
Although culverts have been installed in Miami to help with drainage, they haven’t been maintained and are full of debris, stated one resident who noted the damage on Friday morning.
Walmart also closed on Thursday due to flooding. Footage was shared on social media of employees walking through water inside the store.
Flooding and debris from heavy rainfall forced closures in both directions on US 60 in the Miami area on Thursday from mileposts 243 to 247.
Bill Clemmens, the owner of the Wild Horse Saloon on Sullivan Street, lost the entire storefront to the building he owns next door to his saloon.
He points to the strong foundation of the building and notes it was one of the first all-concrete buildings on Sullivan. It’s sturdy, with no cracks or settling. Unfortunately, the storefront was nonetheless destroyed, and the building was flooded with debris, which he and others began to clean up on Friday morning.
Resident April Crick said her husband was teaching a class at the Gila Community College Miami Regional Training Center when the storm hit. The parking lot flooded quickly and they said the students’ cars were floating during class. Several of the vehicles suffered damage.
Both a flood watch and a severe thunderstorm watch were issued for the area through Friday evening.
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