A Tempe city effort to raise money for victims of the October microburst may soon pay out.
Thousands of dollars in donations are on track to be distributed by the Tempe Community Action Agency. The city — along with donors — raised around $23,000 in what officials call “flexible” storm relief.
Tim Burch with the city said the TCAA will be put in charge of disseminating the funds.
“So that could be from some of the individuals in their apartments," Burch said, "they lost all their work clothing and that may not be something that their renter’s insurance covers. Your car got damaged, but you couldn’t afford the entirety of the deductible.”
Burch said the funds will help cover storm impacts that other emergency resources do not.
“A lot of the federal and regional dollars are very technical as to what they can be applied for, how frequently, what they can be used for. These community flexible funds allows us to look at every family situation, see what the gaps are and how we can help them move forward," Burch said.
More than 1,000 homes and businesses were damaged by the microburst. The city, Maricopa County and Gov. Katie Hobbs all declared a state of emergency for Tempe.
-
A new boat cruising experience will soon come to Tempe Town Lake thanks to a partnership involving the city of Tempe. The venture, known as Tempe Boat Cruisin’, provides trips that give up to 26 guests the chance to ride on a cycle boat on the reservoir. -
A man was arrested this week after police say he walked into a Tempe community center and physically assaulted several older adults there. Police say the attacks were racially motivated. -
Tempe is looking for community input on an affordable housing proposal that offers incentives for developers in exchange for decades of lower rents. -
The city of Tempe has been working with churches and other community groups to establish Resilience Hubs that are prepared to help during disasters. -
It’s hard to imagine a time when the intersection of Mill Avenue and 13th street — just across from Gammage Auditorium in Tempe — was considered “too far out of town.” That was a complaint when the Tempe Woman’s Club was first built there nearly 90 years ago.
