The first thunderstorm of the monsoon season hit the valley Wednesday night in Phoenix, damaging a mobile home park, knocking down trees, power outages, widespread fires, record heat streaks and homelessness. Some people
So did Giovanni Navarro and his family, whose Mesa trailer was completely destroyed in Wednesday night’s storm.
“The carports started to be robbed and then … the roof started to collapse and the wind blew the roof off,” Navarro said. “My mother, daughter and sister were all there, so I just did what I could. I grabbed them and took them to the side of the house and then called the fire department.”
Navarro and his family have lived there for nearly seven years, but had nowhere else to go after Wednesday’s storm.
Severe thunderstorms and dust storms from the southeast hit multiple areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area, bringing torrential rain, winds in excess of 90 miles per hour, and lightning, according to the National Weather Service.
More sporadic storms are expected in the area in the next few days in the afternoon and evening, bringing wetter weather and cooler temperatures over the next week.
Still, most parts of Arizona still have excessive heat warnings and residents are being advised to take precautions against the heat, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Monsoon storm wreaks havoc on Phoenix subway
The storm hit the East Valley first, causing damage around Mesa.
A mobile home park near McEllips Road and Mesa Drive was hit by a severe storm Wednesday night, blowing out several shades and cutting power lines, according to the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.
“The carport flew in and hit me in the head. I was outside putting something under the carport and it flipped over,” resident Kelsey Ricketts said.
Ricketts had a large cut on his neck, still covered in dried blood, that required stitches in the chaos of the night.
“I’m fine, I’m alive,” Mr. Ricketts said with a laugh. “The fire department told me to go to the emergency room. There was so much stuff on the road that it was difficult to get out of the driveway and get to the emergency room, but everyone banded together to move things. He helped me so I could go to the emergency room.” We could go. “
Tasha Munyon, who lives with Ricketts, said the ordeal began around 10 p.m. and found herself in the middle of it.
“It was too early. We got a text message and went outside to pick up something that could fly,” said Munyoung. “The trailer shook a little, then the power went out and all I could hear was wind and rain.”
The couple had just purchased the trailer in April, but luckily the carport wasn’t badly damaged, so they should be able to live in the house.
But some, like Navarro and his family, weren’t so lucky.
“We’re upset. We’re obviously upset. This is our home. It’s like we have nowhere to stay right now,” Navarro said.
GoFundMe Established Thursday According to GoFundMe, Liz Mendes, who claims to be Navarro’s sister-in-law, has asked the community to help raise money for Navarro and his family, who lost most of their belongings in the storm. It is said that there is
The Mesa Fire Department and Mesa Police Department were dispatched to the scene to search for those injured in the storm, but no patients were found, the fire department said.
The ministry said public facilities were secured and the Red Cross was able to help residents without power.
Around 10:30 pm, the monsoon storm reached the western part of the valley. The Phoenix Fire Department said the “unstable” storm caused fence fires to flood homes near Phoenix’s 35th and Dunlap streets.
Firefighters spotted the blaze and entered the house to search for victims, while other firefighters attacked from behind the house and extinguished the fire, the police said.
Fire Chief Scott Douglas said: “The heavy rains and broken gas lines added to the chaos at the site, while power lines were down and dangerous work was being done.”
No one was injured in the incident, according to the fire department. A family of three had been forced from their home and were being assisted by the Phoenix Community Assistance Program Crisis Management Team.
All hazards were safely dealt with by firefighters. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said.
Thousands of residents across the metropolitan area also lost power overnight. As of Thursday morning, most APS and SRP customers had service restored, but as of Thursday noon, approximately 100 APS and 60 SRP customers were still without power.
About 39,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night, SRP spokeswoman Patti Garcia-Likens said.
Garcia-Likens said the East Valley was the hardest hit, with most of the disruption occurring at Mesa, Apache Junction and Gold Canyon. Garcia-Likens said customers who are still without power service are expected to have power restored within the next few hours.
Garcia-Likens advised residents to sign up for blackout notifications. srpnet.comresidents will be able to know if their homes will be affected by power outages and when power will be restored.
“As is often the case with the onset of monsoons, this is the first season of the season for SRP’s service areas. Customers who find a broken power line should not attempt to drive near it and should not approach it. ‘Call 911 and let us know, and let us know,’ she said.
more:What is a monsoon? Here’s the definition
Monsoon rains provide the required cooldown
The storm hit the valley in an initially impressive fashion, but rain and humidity could bring much-needed coolness in the midst of the worst heatwave on record.
Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, temperatures at Phoenix Sky Harbor dropped below 90 degrees Celsius for the first time since the morning of July 9, ending a 16-day heat wave that saw temperatures hover above 90 degrees Celsius. The lowest temperature on Thursday morning was also below that level, reaching 89 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall reached up to about 1.00 inches in some places, according to the Maricopa County Flood Management District.
The areas with the highest total precipitation were Paradise Valley and Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, both with 1.02 inches, North Phoenix with 0.98 inches, and Apache Junction with 0.87 inches.
Other parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area also received significant amounts of rain. Gold Canyon was 0.83 inches, Uptown Phoenix and Falcon Field Airport were 0.79 inches, Glendale he was 0.75 inches and Mesa about 0.5 inches.
Central Phoenix and Chandler were least affected by rain, with 0.04 inches of precipitation. Tempe had him 0.12 inches and Westgate a little more he had 0.2 inches.inch
For the record:It’s hot, but not all heat records have been broken.What’s left is this
According to the National Weather Service, more storms are likely from 2:00 to 3:00 pm today, but the storm is likely to remain northeast of Phoenix, and activity will subside around sunset.
However, an even higher chance of precipitation is expected this weekend, with most parts of the Valley expected to see at least a 50% chance of precipitation by Sunday.
More dust is expected on Thursday afternoon, but it was expected to be limited. “There are no plans to issue a dust advisory prior to convective activity.
