Power outages from monsoon storms leave workers scrambling to restore power
PHOENIX - Thousands of Phoenicians were in the dark after a storm ripped through their south-side neighborhoods, knocking out power for hours.
APS workers have their hands full untangling and fixing wires and poles.
The heat isn’t helping either, as families are left without air conditioning in the sweltering temperatures.
"We heard the light pole pop and I saw a flash and then the light went out," one neighbor named Ari said.
The storm ripped through her south Phoenix neighborhood last night, snapping power lines like toothpicks, and leaving her and her family without any electricity.
"We just went grocery shopping! So, we haven’t opened the fridge. Hopefully, it stayed fresh," she said.
"I’ve never seen something like that"
She’s one of thousands of neighbors left in the dark after the storm slammed the area. The 70 mph wind gusts crumpled trampolines, blew roofs off stores and smashed backyard walls.
"I’ve never seen something like that, and that’s a pretty thick wall" another neighbor, Alfredo Santillo said.
READ MORE: Latest monsoon storm causes damage, power outages in Phoenix
He’s now left without power, sweating inside his home.
"No AC at all," he said. "I mean, I just have my truck running out front, and we just go into my car for a half an hour charging my phone and everything."
What is APS saying about the power outage?
APS spokesperson Katie Connor says crews are working around the clock to fix the 50 downed power poles.
CLICK HERE for the APS power outage map
"At the peak, we had more than 13,000 customers without power. That has since gone down significantly to 1,500," she said.
It's been a process complicated by power lines intersecting with each other.
"What we had to do is untangle that mess first. Also, during monsoon storms, a lot of times we are able to reuse the wires. They haven’t been damaged but in this situation, a lot of them have to be replaced," she said.
"It’s been terrible, the power’s been out since last night"
APS is predicting the power will be fully restored around 9 p.m. tonight, something another neighbor Tracey Cade says he can’t wait for, as sweat dripped down his face.
"It’s been terrible, the power’s been out since last night, just terrible," he said.