Cochise County Emergency Services Director Dan DeShawn told KWCD's First Watch that a weather system linked to Tropical Storm Priscilla could produce several days of steady rain and urged residents to sign up for county emergency alerts.

"It's gonna lead to widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms," DeShawn said, saying the event differs from a typical monsoon because rainfall could be more widespread and longer lasting. "So here we're looking at definitely 3 days of rain Saturday to Monday. You know most likely is that 1.8 maybe 2 inches but the high end could be, you know, 2 and a half inches and there's some models like a 1 in 10 chance that we get, you know, over 3, 3.5 inches."

DeShawn said the county treats the forecast as a "life safety event" and repeated the standard flood-safety admonition: "turn around, don't don't drown. And we really mean it." He cited recent flood deaths elsewhere in Arizona as reason for taking the warnings seriously.

Why it matters: steady, prolonged rainfall can saturate soils and cause both localized and flash flooding. DeShawn said Cochise County emergency management uses a tiered Ready/Set/Go approach to evacuation messaging: "ready" means prepare now, "set" means be alert and prepared to leave, and "go" means evacuate immediately when directed.

The office can issue wireless emergency alerts that are geo-targeted to phones in specific areas and also sends scrolling TV and radio alerts and social-media posts. DeShawn encouraged residents to sign up in advance so a phone can be tied to a home address and family members' addresses for targeted notifications. He said sign-up is available through the county's alert service (the county referenced the MyFreeAlerts sign-up during the broadcast).

DeShawn also urged practical preparedness: know evacuation routes, move to higher ground if threatened and call 911 for life‑threatening situations. "Most flooding deaths occur in vehicles," he said, and asked residents not to treat road closures or evacuation notices as optional.

Ending: County emergency staff said they will push targeted alerts as conditions change and asked residents with special needs, mobility challenges or animals that require assistance to call in advance so responders can plan evacuations.