Gov. Katie Hobbs has declared a state of emergency for Navajo and Coconino counties, a week after tornadoes, hail, heavy rain and high winds hit northern Arizona and days after her office had turned down a request for one.
The declaration, announced Friday, makes $200,000 from the state general fund available to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs' Division of Emergency Management for response and recovery, according to the governor's office as reported by ABC15.
The office said Navajo County had applied for financial help after the storms knocked out power, damaged property, blocked streets and created possible threats to public health and safety.
"I am committed to making sure each community has the resources it needs to continue recovering," Hobbs said in the announcement.
Three tornadoes, one in Heber-Overgaard
KJZZ reported that the storm system produced three tornadoes, including the one near Heber-Overgaard that officials said damaged more than 20 structures. AZFamily described that one as an EF-1 with winds of 110 mph.
From a decline to a declaration
The reversal follows a request from state Rep. Walt Blackman, who formally asked Hobbs for a declaration the week of the storm. Early this week, AZFamily reported the governor had declined.
At the time, her press secretary said state agencies were on the ground working with local officials, and that the state emergency operations center had been activated and emergency managers embedded in Navajo and Greenlee counties.
Navajo County had already declared a local emergency. Board of Supervisors Chairman Daryl Seymour told AZFamily then that the county's roads, infrastructure, schools and public buildings were in good shape and that it did not plan to seek a federal declaration.
