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Officials urge "turn around, don’t drown," ask public to donate money, not materials, until centers open
Summary
A state emergency official urged residents to stay out of flooded roadways, advised directing monetary donations to established charities, and said volunteer reception and donation management centers will be set up in coming days; material donations are discouraged until specific needs and drop-off points are announced.
A state emergency official told attendees at a briefing that the immediate public safety priority is avoiding flooded roadways and that donations should be monetary and routed through established charities until local donation centers are set up.
Asked by a reporter identified as "AZ Family" how the public can help, the official said, "turn around, don't drown," and urged people to avoid driving into floodwaters. The official said volunteer reception centers and donation management centers will be established in the coming days to coordinate community aid.
The official recommended directing monetary donations to well-established charities that already operate in the region so contributions can be routed to impacted communities in an organized way, and discouraged sending material donations until needs are specifically defined and donation management points are set up.
The official also emphasized that mutual-aid systems are in place so requests from the town of Globe move to Hila County Emergency Management and, if needed, are escalated to the state emergency operations center. The official named Hila County Emergency Management director Carl Medford as leading the county's emergency operations.
The briefing included no schedule for when donation centers would open or a list of vetted charities; officials said those details will be provided once donation-management points are established.
