Miami Operation Helps Globe-Miami Area Dig Out from Catastrophic Floods

October 2, 2025 - Freeport and its Miami, Arizona, operation continue to respond to devastating floods in the Globe-Miami area with equipment, personnel and financial assistance to help the communities recover.

Torrential thunderstorms hit the area beginning September 25, causing severe flooding that left streets and homes filled with mud and debris. Three people were killed in the area, multiple company employees lost homes, and a state of emergency has been declared for Globe, Miami and Gila County.

The response from Freeport’s Miami operation began as the floodwaters receded. Freeport crews are using front-end loaders, dump trucks, skid steers and vacuum trucks to clear roadways, yards, businesses and homes. They also set up concrete barriers where dangerous conditions existed, while the company supplied shovels, wheelbarrows, large plastic bags and other tools necessary to aid in the cleanup.

Employees showed up “in great numbers” to volunteer for cleanup operations whether by operating equipment or digging out the mud by hand, said Mark Albertsen, General Manager-Miami and El Paso Operations. Support continues, with the company delivering food throughout the affected areas – a service that will remain in place as long as necessary, Albertsen said.

Arrangements also have been made to temporarily house employees displaced by the flooding.

“Miami operations are here to try and minimize the hardship many in the community are facing due to the severe flooding,” Albertsen said when speaking of those impacted. “Please know that your well-being matters deeply to us – not just as employees, but as neighbors, friends and fellow community members.

“Freeport stands with the community because we are the community. Supporting each other through difficult times is not just the right thing to do. It’s who we are.”

In addition to the on-the-ground support, the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation has committed $50,000 to the United Fund of Globe-Miami to help the recovery effort. The foundation also will double match employee donations of $25 or more up to the first $1,000 contributed and single match any amount more than $1,000.

Photos (top to bottom): Workers from the Miami operation were quick to volunteer when their help was needed to clear mud from flooded houses; Volunteers from Freeport’s Miami operation used company Guzzler vacuum trucks to help clear mud from flood-ravaged homes in the area; Miami employees were quick to lend a hand to their neighbors following the flooding in the community.