A winter storm left thousands of people without power in Mann’s Park, south of Flagstaff.
Unincorporated cabin communities are experiencing blackouts and all the problems that follow.
Joseph Gutierrez received word last night that his cabin in Mann’s Park is among thousands of cabins that do not have power.
“My wife told me you have another honey dough,” Gutierrez said.
An overnight teenage temp, he knew it was only a matter of time before a small problem would bring him big bucks.
So he drove out of the valley on Wednesday morning.
“I was worried because the house wouldn’t get warm if I didn’t turn on the lights. If I couldn’t keep the house warm, the pipes would burst,” Gutierrez said.
Heavy snowfall has caused power lines to sag throughout the cabin community.
APS says it is working around the clock in rough terrain to restore power.
Overnight, a warming center was opened in the church. ABC15 reportedly had about 10 people staying at the center, including an 81-year-old woman.
Pinewood Fire District Superintendent Josh Torpe said power outages at Mann’s Park weren’t limited to severe winter storms.
“So it’s a work in progress. In the summer, it just requires a lot of work and mitigation to clear those boundaries, so in the winter this won’t happen,” Tope said.
Chief Tope is urging residents to consider cutting down trees near power lines to keep them from sagging. He estimates there are 100 to 1,000 trees per acre. He recommends reducing trees in this area to 10 to 100 trees per acre. Partly during the winter, but mostly to reduce wildfire risk.
“Everything you look around is full of snow and weight,” said Obie Swiggum, a handyman who helps clear the snow.
If you can’t cut trees, at least shaking off the snow helps.
These are jobs that Secretary Tope knows are not as easy as they say they are.
Coconino County crews had to clear roads in Manns Park to allow emergency vehicles to pass, which created another problem.
A snowdrift along the hilly road prevented some people from exiting the driveway.
“I had a guy come here three times to clear this up,” said David Kramer.
For those stuck, Chief Tope suggests there’s a Manns Park merchant group on Facebook.
“There were people there who could plow, clear roofs and do all kinds of trades,” Chief Tope said.
Also, if necessary, residents can call the fire department for help.
Chief Tope is also urging local residents to check heater vents. Snow-covered vents led to carbon monoxide calls this week. A carbon monoxide detector alerted the fire department.
APS provided a full statement including the location of the warming center. APS crews work around the clock, starting on weekends, responding to the severe winter weather conditions that have impacted the electrical infrastructure for customers in the state’s highlands. Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible, accessing rough terrain in cold temperatures, even on foot, to restore power and repair electrical equipment damaged by severe storm activity. We appreciate the patience of our customers and understand the difficulties this can cause as we deal with the effects of this winter storm. We will continue to work until power is restored to all of our customers.
Residents of the area can visit the Warming Center at Munds Park Community Church (17670 S. Munds Park Ranch Rd.) and follow these steps. APS stop map For the latest updates on restore times.
