Extended power outages due to storm damage hit home for Phoenix residents, businesses
PHOENIX (AP) — A savage storm with wind, rain and lightning that damaged buildings, knocked down trees, utility poles and power lines added up to sweaty predicaments for many Phoenix residents.
For those without power for extended periods, the late-summer outages meant no air conditioning at home, forcing them to head to coffee shops or the homes of friends or relatives.
The high temperature was 99 on Tuesday, the day after the storm struck Monday night.
Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt Project between them had 70,000 customers without power immediately after the storm. By Wednesday, the number of customers without power had dropped below 3,000 as repairs and cleanup continued across the city.
Utility officials said the restoration of power took a long time in some areas because the extensive damage to poles and other gear was scattered across Phoenix and several suburbs.
Sam Mittelsteadt, an editor for a marketing firm, said homes on his block lost power for over 24 hours. It came back on late Tuesday night or early Wednesday while he slept at a friend’s house which still had power. Meanwhile, one block adjacent to Mittelsteadt’s had power restored Tuesday afternoon and the next block in the other direction never lost power.
Besides having to find a place cool enough to sleep, Mittelsteadt temporarily had to bum rides.
His car was inside his rented home’s detached garage, which couldn’t be opened without use of the electric door opener and its remote control.
“The people who own the house don’t know where the key is to do that,” he said of the backup system.
