Cleanup underway after monsoon storm brought hail, rain and wind to parts of the Valley

Powerful monsoon storm brings wind, rain and hail to parts of the Valley

Parts of the East Valley were hit hard by the storm.

PHOENIX - In parts of the East Valley, cleanup efforts continue on Sept. 9 after a monsoon storm brought rain and hail to parts of the area a day ago.

According to the National Weather Service on Sept. 8, a storm moved through parts of the East Valley, including Mesa and Sun Lakes. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued until 6:00 p.m.

Video received by FOX 10 shows hail falling on a neighborhood near the area of Power and Pecos in Gilbert. Elsewhere, ADOT cameras captured rain falling on the freeway.

At one point, utility provider SRP reported that hundreds of its customers were without power.

Residents react to damages left by storm

Cleanup efforts begin after powerful monsoon storm caused damage in the East Valley

The storm brought rain, wind and hail to some East Valley neighborhood.

On Wednesday, that wasn't a street in sight without some sort of damage or cleanup in parts of the East Valley. Residents in one neighborhood say it was unlike any storms they have seen in recent memory.

"It was a full fledged tsunami. It was like the heavens opened up and rain came down," said John Genovese. "it started as rain and then it just became completely a downpour. It was a huge deluge of water and trash cans were going all over."

Genovese and othher residents say the rain was pouring horizontally, then hail and sleet made an appearance as well.

Genovese says he is thankful the damage in his neighborhood wasn't too bad.

"We are pretty lucky a lot of people didn’t have that," said Genovese.

The force of wind was so strong that it knocked down almost any tree in its path along a portion fo Higley.

"It went all the way through it. It wasn’t even there," said John Gonzalez, who lives near Higley.

The wind knocked a tree in Gonzalez's yard, which went straight through their brick wall.

"It was a blessing it didn't fall the other way and hit the house," said Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, city crews have been cutting trees and clearing out deris all over the roadways and parking lots.

Rain/flood safety tips

The American Red Cross' tips for heavy rain situations and flood safety:

Turnaround don’t drown! If you must drive and you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and go another way.
If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground.
Tune in to your local radio, NOAA radio, or news channels for the latest updates.
If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, be prepared to evacuate quickly.
Follow evacuation orders and do not attempt to return until officials say it is safe.
If power lines are down, do not step in puddles or standing water.
If power is out, use a flashlight. Do not use any open flame as alternate lighting.

You can check the latest weather conditions by visiting the FOX 10 Phoenix weather page, or download the Free FOX 10 Weather app, which is available on Apple iOS and Android.