PHOENIX — Tempe Mayor Corey Woods declared a state of emergency Wednesday after a powerful microburst tore through the city Monday, ripping roofs off buildings and toppling trees onto homes and businesses.
“We had unprecedented damage,” Woods said in a Wednesday morning announcement posted to YouTube.
The storm left nine apartment buildings and several homes uninhabitable, closed multiple public parks, saw emergency calls surge from the usual 80 to 170 and caused a major disruption to the city’s power grid.
“Over 22,000 people lost power at one point, 130 residents were displaced and there was countless damage to businesses and residences throughout the city of Tempe,” Woods said.
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