Thousands of Phoenix-area residents remained without power Friday morning following a series of thunderstorms that ripped through the Valley Thursday night.
According to an SRP outage map, outages were prevalent throughout multiple sections of metro Phoenix, with hundreds to thousands still without electricity. Main areas that SRP customers were affected were in Glendale, south Phoenix, parts of Scottsdale and Mesa, with the company estimating outages could last until 10:30 a.m. for some residents.
As of 9:40 a.m., the number of SRP power outages has gone down from 3,900 to 2,100, but at the height of the storm, we had over 71,200 customers without power,” SRP Lead Media Relations Strategist Erica Roelfs told The Arizona Republic. “For the ones that are still out of power, we ask them to sign up for alerts from SRP so they can get reimbursed for the cost of ice in their refrigerators and freezers and we recommend that they can locate cooling centers through azmag.gov.”
According to Roelfs, areas of the West Valley got the worst of it last night, specifically places around 35th Avenue and Dobbins Road, with crews trying to repair outed circuits.
“El Mirage Road and Southern Avenue is also a kind of hard hit area,” Roelfs said.
SRP customers experiencing outages longer than five hours may be eligible for ice reimbursement to help preserve perishables.
Impacted customers should:
- Send an email to [email protected] with subject line “Ice Reimbursement”
- Include the SRP customer’s name and address
- Along with a copy of their receipt from purchasing ice
The APS outage map shows a similar story, with around 31 outages being reported throughout the greater Phoenix-area, affecting nearly 2,100 customers. A bulk of these outages can be seen in north and south Phoenix, as well as chunks of Peoria.
For Dr. Raelene Brooks, her workout was interrupted by the spectacle. Thursday night was first time she had experienced a power outage from a typical Arizona monsoon after living in Phoenix for three years.
“At about 10 last night, I was in the gym in our building and the lights completely went off, and I could see there was zero visibility outside,” Brooks told The Republic. “It was off for about an hour, and then I noticed that the streetlights were off as well, so as I exited the building to get home, it was really hard to breathe because of all the dust in the air.”
The outages come as Maricopa County registered at least 47 additional heat-associated deaths this week, bringing the total count for 2023 to 180, while 330 deaths remained under investigation.
The storm also hit Phoenix’s largest homeless encampment, commonly known as “The Zone.” Many people’s tents were damaged by high winds and flying debris, and around four people were narrowly missed by a fallen palm tree.
“It was very, very close,” a resident almost hit by a tree told The Republic.
Beyond outages, plenty throughout Phoenix were impacted by the barrage of dust and rain with some even requiring water rescues.
According to a Phoenix Fire Department post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the department saw nearly back-to-back instances of residents needing assistance escaping their vehicles trapped in floodwaters.
Crews assisted Daisy Mountain Fire with a rescue near Joy Ranch and Pioneer Roads at around midnight after a man’s vehicle got stuck in a road crossing and running wash area. Neither the man nor the rescuers suffered any injuries, according to Phoenix fire.
Nearly 30 minutes later, the department posted that they had helped another man out of a wash near 67th Avenue and New River Road after his sport utility vehicle was washed away. According to the post, the man’s dog had gone missing as well, with technical rescue teams on the scene to aid in the search.
“Unfortunately, there have been no updates to this incident and the dog has not yet been found,” Phoenix Fire Capt. Kimberly Quick-Ragsdale told The Republic Friday morning.
A monsoon storm hits Chandler with wind gusts and lightning
A monsoon storm rolled into the Phoenix area on Aug. 31, 2023. Chandler saw strong wind gusts and lightning.
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
For those in immediate need, Phoenix recommends:
- Police and fire will continue to respond to those in need of help. The Fire Department’s Community Assistance Program can also respond when appropriate.
- The city is working to improve communication between the city’s 3-1-1 helpline and the state’s 2-1-1 helpline.
Republic reporters Helen Rummel and Ellie Willard contributed to this article.
Arizona Republic www.azcentral.com
SOURCE
2023-09-01 14:52:15 , GANNETT Syndication Service
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