The mayor of Tempe has signed an emergency declaration as recovery efforts are ongoing following Monday’s microburst.
More than 550 apartment units and condos were damaged, displacing over 130 people.
Hundreds of trees were blown over and buildings had their roofs torn off by winds that topped 80 mph.
City officials are working with state and county assessors to study the full extent of the damages.
Mayor Corey Woods says the emergency declaration will provide the city access to funds to speed up recovery.
“When you’re talking about about being displaced from your home, when you're talking about your small business, all the operations being paused because of damage to that facility, we recognize how emotionally difficult that can be and how traumatic it can be to a resident or a small business owner," Woods said.
Assistant Chief of Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Tony Butch said at one point all units were responding to 911 calls.
"For the city of Tempe, we responded to over 180 incidents. To put that in perspective, that's a 50% increase from our normal average everyday response, "Butch said.
The American Red Cross is providing emergency shelter services at the Escalante Multi-Generational Center. The Tempe Community Action Agency is asking for donations of food and hygiene products.
A city release said residents can go to tempe.gov/TempeStorm for resources and more information.
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