Tropical Storm Octave also caused major flooding along the Gila River, which reached its highest discharge rates since 1906. and two of its tributaries, the San Francisco River and the San Pedro River. These rains devastated Clifton along the San Francisco River valley. Most of Clifton's 4,200 residents had to be evacuated due to flooding, where over 700 homes were destroyed. In addition, 86 of the town's 126 businesses were heavily damaged due to the floods. The Gila River near Clifton sustained its largest discharge rates since Clifton was founded. Along the Southern Francisco River, a peak discharge rate of was reported by meteorologists, which is 1.8 times greater than the previous record set by Hurricane Joanne during the 1972 Pacific hurricane season.