Arizona Governor Hobbs Declines State Emergency Declaration for Tornado-Hit Heber-Overgaard
Heber-Overgaard, Navajo County, Arizona — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on Monday, October 26, declined a request to issue a state emergency declaration for Heber-Overgaard, which was recently struck by a tornado; the decision was reported on October 27. An EF-1 tornado with winds reaching 110 mph had hit the community. State Representative Walt Blackman formally requested the declaration last Wednesday, and the Navajo County Board of Supervisors had also declared a local emergency. Board Chairman Daryl Seymour said damage was estimated at about $20,000 so far, with roads and public infrastructure intact.
The state said declining the declaration does not mean the response has stopped: the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 and placed staff with emergency managers in Navajo and Greenlee counties, and state agencies have coordinated with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Forestry and Fire Management on resident wellness checks and damage assessments. Experts note that a state emergency declaration does not itself pay homeowners directly; individual assistance requires a federal disaster declaration through FEMA. The county said it does not plan to seek a federal declaration.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：亚利桑那州州长凯蒂·霍布斯（资料图）。Gage Skidmore 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (file photo). By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
