State official: search-and-rescue paused as storms complicate response; counts remain incomplete

A state emergency official said during a state emergency operations center briefing that search-and-rescue operations have been interrupted by fresh storms and that officials do not yet have a definitive count of people missing or fatalities.

The official said, "we don't have a definitive number to share at this time," and added that as of 3 p.m. a second band of storms and multiple storm cells were moving through the area, producing heavy rainfall in short periods and prompting pauses in field operations to protect responder safety. The official credited ADOT and DPS with "a herculean effort" clearing roads so that support can reach the community.

When asked whether the National Guard had arrived, the official said aviation assets were mobilized overnight "in the event that they were needed for any kind of search and rescue operation" but were stood down when it became clear operations would be ground-based. The official added that aviation and hazmat teams remain on standby.

County-level reporting remains a limiting factor in casualty counts. Asked for a current death total for Globe, the official said the state is "still waiting on the county to provide that." The official described the flow of requests from the town to the county emergency operations center and then to the state when county resources are overwhelmed.

The briefing ended with the official noting that responders are prioritizing safety and allocating resources based on rapidly changing conditions. No formal search-and-rescue outcomes or casualty tallies were announced at the briefing.

The state emergency operations center did not provide a timeline for when definitive counts would be available.